The Collection: Rin and Len Short Stories
by MissusSlimShady
Summary: A bunch of Rin and Len AU's that I write in my free time. All One Shots. Rated M just to be safe, though not all stories are mature.
1. Intro

Hey guys! This chapter is just an introduction to this Collection, and you don't really need to read it. If you want to get right into the stories, go ahead onto chapter two. However, I do explain some things in here that you may have questions about, and it's a fairly quick read, so it may be worth your time.

So I've been reading a lot of Au Prompts lately, and I've saved my favorite ones to write with Rin and Len. This Collection is made purely of the Au's that I write featuring the two of them.  
I name the chapters by "Theme-Name." For example, the first story I've written is called "College-Pochi" because it is college themed, and the name is Pochi. If the short story contains smut, I will put [X] at the end of the name. If "College-Pochi" contained smut (which it does not), it would be titled "College-Pochi [X]". This is just so everyone can have some idea of what they're reading. As for rating, each chapter is likely going to have some cursing, possible violence, and possible smut. Just to be safe, I rated The Collection M, though not all the stories will actually be rated M. I'll put a rating at the top of each story.  
These stories are all completely separate One-Shots, and have nothing to do with each other. If I like it enough, I may possibly write more on it, but most likely not. Some chapters may be posted in parts if they are longer, and I will make it clear if this happens.  
Each story varies in length, so some may be almost ten thousand words, some may be barely one thousand.  
At the end of each story, I'm gonna write the Au Prompt that I based the story off of, as well as a Vocaloid Song that reminds me of that story. The second part is just for fun, and because I want to spread around more songs. The songs might not be by Rin and/or Len.  
I am not going to update this regularly, and I am still going to prioritize my longer fics over this one. This is pretty much just extra stuff.  
Each new chapter is a new story, unless stated otherwise. I am completely open to requests, so please feel free to submit! Thanks for reading, and enjoy!


	2. College-Pochi

_Rated T for some language_

This was going to be a terrible year, and I knew it as soon as I was accepted into my last-resort school. Colorado University Campus as Boulder. At this point, it was going to have to do. University of Florida didn't want me, and all the colleges in the surrounding states didn't want me, so I was stuck here.

I rolled over in my bed, still exhausted from moving in the night before. Carrying heavy furniture up three flights of stairs wasn't my ideal Friday night. I had been so tired, I didn't even bother to change out of my jeans when I fell asleep. It _did_ remember to take my shirt off before, however, and it now lay on the cream colored carpet along with the comforter for my bed. It was way too hot for me to have use for either of those.

I sat up, accepting the fact that there was no way I was falling back asleep in this heat. My phone buzzed on the side table, and I picked it up. Mom was calling.

"Hello?" I answered, trying to sound awake.

"Lenny," she already began to scold. "You _promised_ you'd go to the job fair this morning."

I stood up, walking over to my small closet. "I am going, Ma." I glanced at my clock. It was already 10:30. "It doesn't start until eleven," I lied.

She sighed. "I just want you to go make some friends."

I rolled my eyes. "I have friends."

"Those kids on Xbox that you've never met don't count."

It was my turn to sigh. "I said I'm going, Mom. I'll call you when I get back and let you know how it goes."

I could hear the smile in her voice. "Okay, honey. Dress nice!"

I didn't. I kept the jeans I had slept in, and threw on an easy black and white button up shirt. I ran a hand through my hair, called it good, and tied it back in my normal ponytail. Deciding that I looked somewhat suitable for the public eye, I shut the door to my one-room dorm, locking it behind me and slipping the keys in my pocket, along with my phone.

I knew I didn't _have_ to go to this stupid fair. I could just make up some applications or jobs I was interested in to tell Mom about. After all, she was all the way in Florida. There was no way she would know. But I honestly didn't have anything better to do. I didn't have the wifi password, and I wouldn't for about a week, so playing Xbox wasn't much of a choice. It's no fun without friends. I guess I could have unpacked a bit more, but after the hectic night, that seemed about as pleasing as eating raw sewage. I couldn't do school work, even if I wanted to; classes didn't start for two weeks. I didn't really have a choice.

My dorm building was on the west side of campus. The classes were in the middle, and the female dorms were on the east. The job fair was taking place in the parking lot in front of the main building, in the middle of the three. Between the parking lot and my dorm was a grassy area with a couple trees planted here and there, with a sidewalk running around it and straight through it. Like any stereotypical college, students sat outside under the shade of the trees, some in groups, some in pairs, some alone. I travelled along the sidewalk cutting through the middle, trying to avoid the glances of my peers. I had never been a people person. At least, not _in person._ On Xbox, I was the popular kid.

Although, I guess that wasn't something to be proud of.

The parking lot was a mess of tables and shouting twenty-some year olds. I took a deep breath. _Just walk through the aisles, pick up a couple random papers, nod at some random people, and go home._ I thought to myself as I took a step onto the hot asphalt. The tables weren't all advertising jobs. Some had signs hanging on them with information about clubs, sports, frats, sororities, and everything in between. I walked a bit faster past the frat houses; there was no way in hell I would ever even consider it. That would involve moving again.

As I traversed the sea of unfamiliar faces, I noticed a group of people standing a little ways away from me. It was a crowd of about fifteen, give or take, with the taller ones in the back and the shorter ones in the front. The taller held signs in the air that protested animal cruelty. One of them caught my eyes right away. _If you can't afford to take care of an animal, you shouldn't own an animal!_ It read. The people in the front were handing out fliers, offering them to likely every person who walked by. I lowered my head. I had become pretty good at being invisible, especially if I had a crowd of people to hide behind, but this might be tricky. Avoiding confrontation was my specialty, however, and I loved a challenge.

As I got closer, one of them caught my eye. In the front stood a girl with a stack of papers in her arms bigger than every book I've ever read combined. Blonde, shoulder-length hair fell around her determined face. Her bangs were held to the side by a trio of black bobby pins, and a white bow adorned her head. Her bright blue eyes were wide with impatience, and her movements were robotic. I could imagine why; it couldn't be easy handing out fliers all day. She wore a pair of jean shorts with a white tank top, clearly dressed for the hot weather.

As I walked closer to her, I began to hear a voice that matched the movements of her mouth. Her tone seemed frustrated, just like her body language, but it still rang in my ears like the singing of birds in the early morning. My heartbeat began to pick up. Again, I wasn't good at talking to people. Girls were no exception. Especially a girl this beautiful.

 _Oh no,_ I thought. _It's not even the first day. I can't have a crush on not even the first day._

I was too busy scolding myself to realize that I had made a grave mistake. I had been too distracted by my thoughts to melt into the crowd, and instead walked right into the group like an idiot. I didn't realize until the girl turned to me, our eyes locking. My heart dropped to my feet as she took a pair of decisive steps toward me.

"Do you want to help our cause to defend those who can't defend themselves?" She asked, only a last shred of kindness in her voice. The question came out of her mouth like an actor's when they repeated their favorite line the thousandth time. I assumed she had been turned down more today than she would have liked.

"Uh," I stammered. "Um, no thanks." And I was no different. I felt like a dick.

Her shoulders slumped. Up close, she was even more eye catching. "Can you please just take the flier?"

My hands shook in my pockets. I silently hoped she wouldn't see. "Uh, I mean, it's probably just end up in the trash anyway…" I trailed off. How could I be in college and still get nervous every time I talked to someone of the opposite gender?

"That's a start," she said quietly. "Just take it." She held out the paper.

I held my hands up. "Really, it's fi-"

She rolled her eyes, every trace of politeness disappearing. "Look, kid. I'm really passionate about this cause and I will give you this goddamn flier if I have to shove it down your throat."

I had no words to reply. I simply held out my hand, which she quickly placed a paper in. I stood there for a moment, traumatized, before she sighed, and looked up at me. She was really short, but still more intimidating than any video game boss I had ever played against.

"I'm sorry," she apologized softly. "It's been a rough day."

I nodded. My mouth was open, but no words came out. "Th-that sucks," I replied after finding my words. It was the best I could do.

"And," she looked at the crowd walking past us. "I know people care about them…" She gazed lovingly down at a picture of a dog in a cage on the paper atop the stack in her arms. "But they don't _do anything_ about it. And if we don't, then who will?"

I nodded again. _Just take some fliers and nod at some people._

She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, and my heart skipped a beat. "We meet in the field behind the library every Thursday and Friday, if you're interested." She stared at the ground as she spoke. Her tone was defeated and sad, and I longed to hear her when she wasn't getting dismissed all day in the middle of a parking lot in ninety degree weather. I tried to imagine her laugh, and suddenly felt a bit light headed.

"I'll be there." I couldn't stand to hear her talk like that; the words were out of my mouth before I even knew they were in my head. I heard my thoughts start screaming at me, but they were drowned out by her excited gasp.

She looked up at me again. Every time our eyes met, my breathing seemed to quicken a bit more. "Really?" She asked, surprised.

I stood with my mouth open again, not sure what I just agreed to. "Y-Yeah. Sure, why not."

"Oh my god," she started. "Thank you so much. What was your name again?"

"Len." The answer came out quickly. Too quickly.

She shifted the entire bundle of papers into the crook of her left elbow, extending her now-free arm toward me. "Well, Len. I'm Rin." I stared wide eyed at her extended hand for a moment, before pulling my hand out of my pocket and shaking hers. The second our hands touched, I knew it was the point of no return. _Jesus, Rin._ I thought. _What the fuck are you doing to me?_ " Now if you'll excuse me," she continued, pulling her hand back and wrapping it around her bible of anti- animal cruelty papers. "I have to get back to annoying the shit out of people." She flashed me a warm smile, making my knees weak. "I'll see you Thursday."

I nodded. "Thursday," I repeated, walking past her. I took a deep breath, staring at the ground as I tried to navigate my way out of this maze of people. I felt her eyes on the back of my head as I fled.

Her sweet grin was burned into my brain. I could barely see the people walking past me. Were there this many people here before? I didn't think so. Was it this hot outside? No way. I tried navigating my way through the crowd, eventually finding relief on a bordering sidewalk. I nearly ran back to the boys' dorm, taking the stairs two at a time up three floors to my room. I pulled my keys out of my pocket, and just as I brought the right one to the lock, they slipped out of my hands. I groaned in annoyance; were my hands this sweaty when I shook Rin's? I prayed to God not.

When I finally managed to open the door, I threw the keys on my desk, collapsing on my bed. I had literally been gone for about twenty minutes, and I had had so much social interaction I thought I was going to puke. The door to my bathroom stood ajar at the foot of my bed, and I stared at it, just in case.

I had completely forgotten about the paper. I set it down on the bed next to my face, reading over it sideways. I already knew everything it said. Meetings Thursdays and Fridays behind the library, stop animal cruelty now, the girl of your dreams will be there, don't blow it, nerd. Two questions popped into my head.

 _What did I just get myself into?_

 _Where the fuck is the library?_

Four days later, it was Thursday, and I was terrified. As I had been all week. I tried to play it off by working on my 100% completion for Far Cry 4, but it only helped a little. I hadn't left my dorm since the fair, and I definitely wasn't prepared to leave it today.

The paper said the meeting was at five o'clock, but by three, the temperatures were beginning to drop dramatically. That's one thing I learned very quickly about living in Colorado; the weather changes more often than I change batteries on my controller. It was record highs at the beginning of the week, and record lows by the end.

I stared out my window, watching the gray clouds over the town. I wondered if they would still be meeting today. I wondered if I should go. I pictured myself wandering around the fields behind the library aimlessly, earning a crowd of students laughing at me. _Look at this kid,_ they'd say. _The hell is he doing walking around in_ this _cold?_ I looked down at the window pane, the idea coming to my mind that maybe this wasn't even a real thing. What if this was some elaborate plan to embarrass freshman? _Guys, look at this. He actually thinks there's a club for_ saving animals _!_

I shook my head, closing the drapes. These were the exact same ideas that made high school hell, and I didn't want that to be the same case for college. While my anxiety screamed at me to stop, I dressed in the warmest outfit I owned, grabbed my keys and my phone, and left the room at exactly 4:45. Luckily, I had found a map of the campus in my "Welcome to the Rest of Your Life!" folder that came with the dorm. It showed the library in the back of the main building.

There weren't many people out today. Most were likely retreated from the cold in their rooms, enjoying their last few days of freedom before classes started. There were a few stragglers out and about, and I guess I was one of them. Most of the others were either walking to a dorm from their cars, or vice versa. I was the only one who turned left on the path that hugged the side of the main building, leading to the back.

As I reached the corner, I heard Rin's voice around the corner. My confidence both strengthened and weakened at the same time, leaving my brain confused with what to tell my feet to do. They stopped dead in the path, and I took a deep breath. The "Fake Animal Safety Club" scenario popped into my head again, and I felt the sudden urge to turn around and run the opposite way as fast as I could. Against my own will, I stood tall, and continued putting one foot in front of the other. My hands were resting in my pockets again, and shaking. Again.

With newfound courage, I turned the corner, and saw the same group of people from the fair. They sat in a circle in the grass, which I imagined to be freezing cold. Each was wearing their winter gear, though it was barely even fall yet. Rin was the only one in the group standing, and she was facing me. She wore a fluffy white jacket with gray leggings and a think scarf around her neck. The black bobby pins in her hair had been replaced with white ones. She was wearing a bow, yet again. The second I came into view, she stopped what she was saying, and looked up at me, resulting in a ripple effect in the others. They all turned to look at me simultaneously, and I trembled under their silent stares for a few seconds.

Rin had been talking with her hands before I rounded the corner, but when she saw me, her arms dropped to her sides. "Len," she said, her voice light. "You came." She had a small hint of a smile on her lips.

I nodded. "I-uh… I said I would, right?" I was astonished that she even remembered my name.

She chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you did." She looked down at everyone else. "This is that guy I was telling you guys about."

 _Oh my god she was talking about me._ I gulped.

One of the girls sitting near Rin nodded. She had long, blonde hair that was pulled into a single pony tail coming out of the top of her head, and draping down the left side of her face. "Come on over," she welcomed, waving me over. "We don't bite."

I moved from my corner, sitting in the grass next to the girl. I leaned against the brick wall of the library. I was right, the grass was fucking freezing.

Rin went around the circle, listing the name of every member. My mind was in so many places, the only one I remembered was the girl next to me. Neru. And of course, Rin herself.

When introductions were out of the way, she continued on with whatever she was saying before. I was surprised to find out that it was a subject that had absolutely nothing to do with the flier I had received days ago; the reunion of the band My Chemical Romance.

For an Animal Rights group, I was surprised at how little they talked about animals. And then it hit me; this wasn't a club. This was a group of friends. A group of friends that I had just intruded on. I shifted uncomfortably. What the hell was I doing here?

The only comforting thought I had after that epiphany was that they hadn't told me to leave. They _had_ seemed pretty welcoming. But maybe they were just good at hiding the fact that they didn't want me here. Out of habit, I went with that.

It was beginning to get dark before the first thing about animals was even mentioned. Rin had taken a seat next to me, leaning up against the wall as well. She shivered. "It's fucking freezing," she complained. I hadn't said I single word since I arrived.

Neru sat on the other side of me. She nodded. "For real. But we don't have anywhere else to go."

"We should just start kicking people out of the commons in the dorms. That's what the other clubs do," Rin suggested, hugging herself. I turned my head to each of them as they spoke. It looked like I was watching a tennis match.

Neru rolled her eyes. "No one takes us seriously enough to listen."

Rin narrowed her eyes. "Then maybe we should do something that'll make them take us seriously." She pondered this thought for a moment, when a light bulb went off in her head. "Oh my god. It's freezing."

The group laughed. "Good job, Rin," Neru commented sarcastically. "We had no idea."

"No," she insisted. "What about that one dude? The guy with the corgi puppy?"

A boy across the circle from me put a hand to his temple in frustration. "The cops say the dog is fine," he said.

"That's bullshit," Rin countered. Her voice was suddenly angry. "I bet he's outside right now in the freezing cold, and that asshole isn't gonna let him in." She was ranting to no one in particular. "Probably didn't even feed him today."

The crowd groaned in annoyance.

The blonde crossed her arms. "I'm gonna go check on him."

Neru stood. "Have fun with that," she said, starting to walk away from the circle. Everyone began to stand with her, so I followed suit.

A look of disgust came over Rin's face. "You guys aren't gonna do anything about it?"

They began to walk away, dismissing her. I was reminded of the crowds of people pushing past her at the fair.

Before I knew it, the only two people remaining were me and her. She was fuming. "Can you believe them? The whole point of this is to make a difference!" She ranted.

I nodded, still not saying anything.

She turned to me. "I know you're new and all, but you _have_ to come with me."

My eyes widened. I wasn't much for adventures. "Uh… I don't know."

"Come on, Len," she pleaded. My head spun every time she said my name. "I know they don't think it's a big deal but we could save a dog's _life._ This means so little to them but it means the world to that poor guy."

 _God dammit,_ I said to myself. "Alright, fine."

She jumped up. "Yes!" When she jumped, the top of her head almost reached my eye-level.

Next thing I knew, I was driving through the town with this complete stranger in the passenger's seat of my shitty little hand-me-down car. She directed me to the other side of town, which was only a ten minute drive. It was a small town. I turned into a neighborhood right on the edge of a mountain, and parked in front of an empty lot. It was getting dark, and when I turned off my headlights, the entire street went black.

Rin opened the door before I even completely stopped the car. "Come on!" She whispered. My heart dropped. Why was she whispering?

I pocketed the keys, following her around the edge of the houses. She bounded through the tall grass, her scarf flowing after her. I did the same, trying to keep up. For someone with such short legs, she was fucking fast.

We followed the fence around the back, where the ground began to slope up into the mountain. From the slope, we could see directly into the backyards of every house on the street. I shivered, whether it from the cold or the situation, I couldn't tell you.

Finally, she stopped behind a particular house, and sat down in the dirt. "I knew it," she muttered. She pointed into the backyard of a one-story house with a glass back door. The lights were on inside, and the kitchen was visible through the glass. "He's outside."

I sat next to her, my mind still processing exactly what was happening, and looked over the fence into the yard. In the dark, I could make out a small dog tied to a thin tree in the far corner. It looked skinny, and lied in the grass next to an empty bowl. I had to admit, the sight _was_ pretty depressing.

Rin sniffled. "I can't believe someone would do that," she uttered. Through the glass door, a man appeared. She perked up. "I've done my research. I _know_ these people."

I furrowed my brow. "You know them?"

"Well, not personally. But I know who they are." She pointed to the man standing in the kitchen. "His name's Jim. He's an ass. He has a wife and two kids." She chuckled. "Well, _had._ His wife caught him cheating on her with someone who actually goes to our college-" she turned to look at me. "-which is _disgusting,_ because he's, like, forty years old-" she turned back to the house. "And she packed up the kids and left. And his wife bought their dog for the kids this summer, and Jim's refusing to give him back to them." She shook her head. "And he hates the poor thing."

"Jesus," I said aloud.

"It's terrible," she added. We sat in silence, watching the yard, before she shook her head. "Ugh," her voice cracked, and she rubbed her eyes, trying to keep from crying. "I can't watch this."

I gazed her, wanting to comfort her in any way I could, but not knowing how.

The kitchen lights switched off, and she suddenly shifted into a crouching position. "Let's go." Her voice had returned to a whisper.

"Wh-what?" I whispered back, mirroring her actions.

"There's a gate built into the back fence." She gave me a familiar determined glace. "I'm not leaving that dog here."

I widened my eyes. "Rin, this is _trespassing._ We could get _arrested._ "

"No," she argued. "Jim's a drunk, too. We leave the back gate open, and rip the rope that's tying him up. He'll think the dog ran away."

I thought for a moment, and was surprised at the sheer knowledge of that idea. "Have you stolen dogs before?" I asked.

She smiled. "No. Just saved them." With that, she began stalking down the hill. I followed her, my heartbeat quickening.

How the hell did I end up in this situation? As the frosty grass crunched below my feet, I imagined my Mom getting a phone call saying that her only son managed to find his way to jail before his first day of college even started.

" _Why the hell were you trespassing?"_ she'd ask.

" _To impress a girl, Ma."_

Rin reached the wooden fence, standing up straight. She couldn't be seen over it, but if I had stood up straight, my head would poke over the top. I kept my back arched as she felt along the planks. "Got it," she whispered. I heard the _click_ of a latch, and the fence itself seemed to swing open. Rin disappeared inside, and I hesitated for a moment before following her.

She made a beeline through the dark yard to the tree, where the puppy lifted its head at us. For a terrifying moment, I thought it was going to bark, but it stayed silent. Up close, the mistreatment was even more obvious. The dog's white and brown fur hugged against its ribs, and its face looked sunk and sad. It looked more like a pile of bones than a dog. I felt a sudden responsibility to this poor animal, and I realized that I was feeling the same thing Rin felt.

"Oh my god," she whimpered, petting its upright ears softly. "I'm gonna cry."

"No time," I whispered, grabbing the rope around its neck. My hands moved with sudden courage and determination. "We just have to untie it. There's no way we can rip the rope."

Rin nodded, not replying for the first time I had ever seen. She continued petting the dog and I gently pulled at the knot around his neck, freeing him. He stood up on four short legs, waddling over to Rin. She giggled softly, though I was pretty sure she was crying by now, and picked him up. I grinned. The dog licked her nose, his small, stubby tail wagging slightly.

My heart nearly stopped as the lights to the kitchen turned back on. We both froze, our gazes snapping to the back door. We were fully in sight, but Jim hadn't appeared yet. In one motion, the two of us stood upright, bolting through the open gate, and into the grass behind. Rin held the puppy cuddled to her chest as we both sprinted back to the car.

We were panting as we both plopped into the vehicle. I shakily put the keys in the ignition-not dropping them this time- and sped the car away. I breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the main road with no sign of the police.

Rin hugged the puppy. "He weighs, like, two pounds." She looked over at me. "We need to go get him food, now."

"Where's the nearest PetsMart?" I asked, my head still reeling. I jumped at every pair of headlights I saw, thinking they were police coming to give me a criminal record.

We walked into the store five minutes later, Rin refusing to set the puppy down. It was almost eleven o'clock.

"What kind should we get?" I asked as we scanned the food aisle.

"It doesn't matter," Rin said impatiently. "He just needs to eat."

I grabbed a twenty dollar bag of PuppyChow along with a bowl, leash, and collar. The clerk gave us an odd look when we stepped up to pay.

"Is he okay?" the lady asked, scanning our items.

"We found him on the street," Rin lied. "We gotta feed him."

"Awh, poor guy." The clerk didn't question us any further. I was amazed by Rin's power of persuasion. Then again, she had convinced me that it was a good idea to sneak into someone's backyard in the middle of the night to steal a dog. And it was only the second time I'd seen her, ever.

We stopped in front of the store, fitting the collar onto him, and filling the bowl with food. The little guy hungrily ate up, and Rin crouched next to him, petting him the whole time.

"The sad thing is," she began, gazing down at him. "She actually believed me." She fixed her gentle gaze up at me. "You know it was the right thing to do when he could pass for a starving dog on the streets."

I nodded, thankful for the thought. Anything to clear my conscience of the fact that I just stole someone's dog. "What's his name?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't have a tag."

"Then I guess you get to name him."

She thought for a moment. "I like Kyu. Or Pochi."

I grinned. "He looks like a Pochi."

She laughed. The sound made butterflies appear in my stomach. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the sudden thumping in my chest.

"Pochi it is," she declared.

When he had finished his bowl, Rin hooked him up to the leash, and led him back to the car. He seemed much more lively, and ran in little circles around her as we made our way through the lot.

We drove back home in silence. She giggled occasionally at Pochi, who eventually settled into a little ball on her lap and fell asleep. Seeing him so happy proved to me again that we had done the right thing.

The parking lot in front of the main building was empty of people, but full of cars. There seemed to be no one else out. I parked in the same spot we had pulled out of when we left. We gathered our supplies, and I followed Rin to the girl's dorm, carrying them for her. Pochi sniffed along the grass as we walked side-by-side.

When we reached the front door of the dorm, I set the bag of dog food and the bowl down on the sidewalk.

Rin turned to me. "You are officially my favorite person in the club," she stated with a smile. She had a loose grip on Pochi's leash.

I felt a slight blush rush to my cheeks. I hoped it wouldn't be visible in the dim light the streetlamp above us provided. "H-hey, it was the right thing to do."

Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath. "What a great first date."

My mouth dropped open. "I-uh, w-what?"

She giggled at my flustered expression. "We saved a dog together. " Without waiting for my response, she took a step towards me, raised herself up on her tip-toes and planted a sweet kiss on my cheek. "You know," she began when she returned to her normal height. "You don't talk a lot, but when you do, you're really sweet." She paused, looking down at the dog. "It was really brave of you to help me."

I didn't know what to say. I just stared, my blush deepening.

She laughed again. Music to my ears. "Next meeting's tomorrow," she stated, grabbing the bag of food and the bowl. "See you there?" Pochi sat at her feet, looking up at us.

I couldn't form words. So I just nodded. There was no point in trying to hide my shyness anymore.

She flashed me one last smile before turning her back to me, disappearing inside the dorms with the puppy. Where dogs even allowed in the dorms?

I stood unable to move for a few seconds, before I gained enough of my composure back to turn and begin the trek to the boy's dorm. My body was reacting like I had just run a marathon. And won. With a fast-beating heart, sweaty hands, and a blush that could be seen from Mars, I walked back to my dorm with only one thing on my mind.

This was going to be a great year.

 _Okay, I don't know why but I love love love this one. It's just so adorable._

 _Prompt- I'm really passionate about this cause and I will give you this flier if I have to shove it down your throat._

 _Song this story reminds me of? Ugly Guy Documentary by Len (I'm sure you can figure out why)_

 _Link - watch?v=t7CyfLpnmOI_


	3. High School-Meltdown

_Rated T for language_

"Len! Wake up! You're going to be late for school!"

I rolled over, groaning. I literally _just_ fell asleep. "Five more minutes!" I shouted, sighing into my pillow. A pale light was shining through a crack in my curtains.

"Not today!" Mom's voice called from outside my door. "You're already late enough!"

I bolted up, blinking the sleep from eyes. The clock on my side table read 7:06.

"Shit," I muttered as I sat up, looking over my room for the nearest shirt.

"I heard that," Mom called again, before the sound of her footsteps walking down the stairs told me that she had left.

The floor of my room was littered with discarded clothes. A laundry basket stood next to my door, but it was mostly empty. The pile of clothes around it was bigger than the others; my missed free throws. I snatched the closest shirt off the floor, sniffed it, and threw it back on the floor. Too raw for school today. Plus, I had practice afterwards. I didn't want to make the problem even worse. The second shirt I grabbed didn't smell too bad, so I slipped it on, and grabbed a pair of jeans to go with it.

I opened the door, nearly running into my mother.

She crossed her arms. "I thought you went back to sleep," she said.

I shrugged, brushing through my hair with my fingers. "Nah. I'm up."

She looked over my shoulder, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Jesus Christ, Len. It smells disgusting in there." She shook her head, continuing down the hallway.

I chuckled. "I'll clean it after practice today."

She threw a hand over her shoulder. "That's what you always say."

My shoulders slumped. She sounded exhausted. "You okay, Mom?"

She disappeared into her room at the end of the hall without saying anything. I shook my head, turning my back on her and stomping down the stairs. Hyu and Kyu were sitting at the dining table, arguing with each other.

" _I_ finished the cereal," Hyu yelled. "So _I_ get the toy!" The eight year old held onto the box of Lucky Charms for dear life.

"But you got the toy last time!" His twin brother yelled. "Why can't _I_ ever get the toy?"

I pulled the box out of Hyu's hands, earning a cry of protest from each of them. "You're both being brats," I pointed out, pulling the small action figure the boys were fighting over. "Is this really what you're annoying Mom about?"

"I get it!" Hyu yelled, standing up on his chair.

I rolled my eyes, tossing the toy in trash. "Now, no one gets it." Hyu sat back down, pouting. "Eat your breakfast before you miss the bus," I said firmly, throwing the empty box in the trash with the toy. A brown bag sat on the counter. I looked into it, and grabbed it. Lunch.

"I wish Dad was here," Hyu said quietly behind me, changing the mood of the entire house. It was too early for this.

I took a deep breath. "Well, he's not, Hyu." I turned to look at them. "And fighting over a stupid toy isn't gonna make him come back."

That shut them up. I sighed, holding the brown bag in one hand. Silence filled the kitchen for a moment, before I walked back into the living room.

"I'll see you guys after practice." I grabbed my backpack from the foot of the couch, slinging one strap over my shoulder. My letterman jacket hung on a hook next to the front door, and I took it, stepping out into the cold.

It was the middle of winter, and a good foot of snow sat on our front yard. The sky was completely white with clouds, though no snow was falling at the moment. The sidewalk was clear from my shoveling the night before, and I walked over to the driveway without getting any snow of my new shoes.

My car was freezing, and the drive to school was also freezing. I pulled up to my high school at 7:30; a whopping five minutes after the first bell. I quickly found a parking spot, slung my backpack over my shoulder once again, and ran as fast as I could to the front door without slipping on the icy sidewalks. The second I pushed the front door open, I was met with the sweet relief of indoor heating. I turned to the left, walking down the hallway behind the last few stragglers getting to class. The lady in the attendance window shook her head.

"Late again, Len," she complained. I didn't even know her name. I just knew she worked in the office.

Despite my annoyance at her judging tone, I grinned. "Like always."

I followed the hallway to the Science classes, opening the door to my first period. Chemistry. The classroom was loud with the sound of teenage chatter. The teacher hadn't even shown up yet. Sweet.

The tables arranged around the room were wide enough for two people to sit at each one. They were arranged in rows, with all of them facing the whiteboard at the front of class.

Kaito caught sight of me as I walked in. "Ay, Len! What's up?" He shouted across the room. He sat on a table with other members of our basketball team crowding around him. I dropped back backpack onto my desk, and jogged across the room to sit with him one the table.

"You going to practice tonight?" The blue haired boy asked me.

"Yeah," I answered. "Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged. "Some of the guys decided to blow it off. Apparently the cheerleaders are throwing a huge party tonight."

I rolled my eyes. He didn't even have to say their names for me to know who he was talking about. "Those guys piss me off. How are we supposed to win our games if we don't go to practice?" I shook my head. "Coach is gonna be pissed."

Kaito shrugged. "I know. That's why I don't wanna go, either."

"Oh come on. You can't be ditching, too."

He held up his hands in defense. "Luka's gonna be at that party, and I will be damned if I-"

He was cut off the by classroom door opening. Mrs. Gavriel walked in, a sour look on her face. "In your seats," she demanded.

I sighed, and jumped off the table, walking to my seat at the front of the room. I pushed my backpack onto the floor, and sat down. My lab partner sat next to me, her nose in a book.

The teacher crossed her arms at the front of the room as the students settled down. When it was finally silent, she spoke. "I have a meeting to go to for first period, so you guys are gonna have a sub today. You guys need to work on your Atom Packets while I'm gone." The door opened again, and another strict-looking teacher walked in. She was much taller than Mrs. Gavriel, with a thin face and a small pair of glasses on her nose.

Mrs. Gavriel gave us an impersonal wave for a goodbye, and exited the room. The sub grabbed an expo marker in one of her bony fingers, writing her name on the board. I leaned back in my chair, ignoring it. I still couldn't get over the fact that half my team wasn't practicing tonight.

"I'm going to call attendance," the sub announced. "When I call your name, just say 'Here.' No funny business." Her strict voice annoyed me even more.

She held the seating chart, looking down at it and calling everyone's name as she saw them.

"Kaito Shion."

"Here." He seemed annoyed, too.

One by one she passed every table in the room.

She finally reached mine. "Len Kagamine."

"Here." I tapped my pencil on the table in front of me.

"Rin Kagene."

I looked over at my table mate, who raised her hand sheepishly. The sub didn't look up from her seating chart.

"Rin Kagene?" She repeated.

Rin waved her hand some more, before hitting it on the table to get the sub's attention. The old lady looked up, surprised. "Are you Rin?" She asked.

Rin nodded, her blue eyes wide.

"I told you to say 'Here" when I called you," the sub pointed out impatiently.

"She can't say 'Here,'" I said. "She's mute."

Rin looked down at the table shamefully, slowly closing her book.

The sub paused for a moment, before looking back down at the paper. "Teto Kasane."

"Here."

The class passed on slowly. The sub declared that we were to work independently on our packets, and then sat at Mrs. Gavriel's desk with a magazine in her hands. I flipped through the packet cluelessly. I didn't know any of this.

I nudged Rin softly. "Do you know the answers?" I whispered.

She looked at me with big eyes. Her blonde hair was pushed the side with a pair of white bobby pins. She wore a baggy white hoodie with black leggings, and a small clip-on bow on the back of her head. She'd been my lab partner the entire year so far, and usually I just got all my answers from her. It didn't reflect well on the tests, but, thanks to her, I had kept my grade up enough to still play basketball. Miraculously, I had over half of my classes with her, though we never interacted much. Her lack of a voice contributed mostly to that.

She looked down at my packet, and slid her paper towards me. I nodded in thanks, and began copying down the answers. As I scribbled, she opened her thick book again, and leaned back in her chair. I noticed she always held her hand up to her cheek when she read.

I finished copying everything down, and pushed her paper back over to her. She slid the paper into her binder, before putting it away in her backpack and resuming her reading. I looked at my phone under the table, texting the Varsity Team's group chat.

 _I swear to God if you guys ditch tonight,_ my message read. Nobody responded right away; I'd probably have to wait until after class to yell at them.

The bell rang eventually, and I made my way to second period. Then third, and fourth. None of the team texted back, though at least one of them, I don't know who, had read my message.

I stomped into sixth period fuming. It was the weight room. My Strength and Conditioning class had a couple members of the team in it. It was also another class with Rin in it; she was one of the three girls on the attendance list.

Kaito and Gakupo sat on one of the bench presses, already dressed out and waiting for Coach to come in and give us our workout for the day.

"Not you, too," I said to Gaku as I walked up to them.

He took a deep breath. "It's just one practice, Len. Don't be such a bitch about it."

"I'm being a bitch about it? Why can't you just suck it up and miss the party? There's gonna be plenty more when the season is over." I crossed my arms. "And _you guys_ were the ones who were so worried about our game against Rangeview next week."

Kaito chuckled. "Rangeview's team sucks. We'll be fine."

"If you're gonna dedicate yourself to a sport, then you should at least be able to go to practices."

Gaku stood up. "What're you gonna do? Snitch?"

I took a deep breath. I hated it when he used his height advantage to try to intimidate me. "What's the point? Coach is gonna find out tonight anyway." I turned away from them, throwing my backpack against the wall and storming out of the door.

I nearly ran into Rin. "Ah, shit, sorry," I said, taking a step back. She looked up at me, startled. She had changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. She'd also taken off her bow. I held the door open for her. She quickly stepped through, dropped her backpack on the ground next to mine without giving me another look.

I changed quickly, getting back in the weight room just in time for Coach to come out of his office. I stood behind everyone as he wrote the routine for today on the board. I momentarily considered telling him about the party tonight, but decided against it. It'd only make things worse for me. Being captain of the team wasn't always easy.

After a brief description of the workout, Coach disbanded the class, letting us start any part of the routine we wanted. He encouraged us to always work in pairs, or groups, but never alone. Today, I decided to break that rule. I usually grouped up with Kaito and Gakupo, but after the shit they were pulling, I didn't want to be anywhere near them. Or anyone, for that matter. I just wanted to take my anger out on the machines. Working out had always been one of my favorite things to do, even when I wasn't ready to punch a hole in the wall.

Throughout the period, I was careful to be in the least populated section of the room. I just wanted to workout by myself for once. Halfway through, I was thankful to find that the bench presses were all empty, as was the area around them. I filled up my water bottle at the drinking fountain beside them, before setting it on the ground next to my chosen machine. I loaded up the weight, careful to keep the bar balanced. I found myself piling the plates on. I only stopped when I was a good couple pounds past my normal weight.

 _Anything to get this stupid party off my mind,_ I thought as I positioned myself under the bar. Usually, I wasn't comfortable without a spotter, but today, I had worse things to worry about. I lifted the bar off the hooks, holding it above me for a moment as I adjusted to the extra weight.

I took a deep, shaky breath, as I slowly lowered it down it my chest. The difference only a couple pounds could make was crazy. I pushed the bar back up, breathing out. _One_ I counted.

Slowly, I repeated myself.

 _Two._

 _Three._

What a bunch of idiots. It's just some stupid party.

 _Four._

Miku and Luka throw parties every other weekend. What makes this one so special?

 _Five._

My arms were beginning to shake. I felt eyes on me, and I figured they were Kaito and Gakupo. They may be taller than me, but I could bench more than both of them, and I was determined to prove that to them.

 _Six._

I set the bar down on the hooks, taking a deep breath. My arms fell weakly to my forehead. Only three more sets. Only three more sets, and then I'd be done for the day. This was pushing myself too far, but I couldn't stop now.

I took a few more breaths, before gripping the bar again. I took pleasure in the fact that the area around me was still empty.

I lifted the bar, grunting at the weight. It felt even heavier than before.

 _One._

My arms stalled as I tried to push it up. It took me a few seconds, but I was finally able to lift it. From the corner of my eye, I recognized Rin walking over the drinking fountain, an empty water bottle in hand. I closed my eyes.

 _Two._

The bar fell down again, hitting me harder than I expected. It knocked the wind out of me, but I regained myself quick enough to keep it from crushing me. I held it there for a second, listening to the music Coach was playing in the background, along with the gentle stream of water from the drinking fountain.

I began pushing the bar back up, clenching my teeth. I felt a trickle of sweat drip down the side of my head. After a painfully long few seconds, my arms finally straightened out.

 _Three._

My breathing was heavy now. I was too focused on the weight pushing down on me to hear to water fountain turn off.

My thoughts were too crowded with anger to think that this was a bad idea. On any other day, I wouldn't have been caught dead lifting this much without a spotter. I had heard straight up horror stories about people's throats being crushed by these bars. But I couldn't think about that. And even if I had, it probably would have been too late.

I brought the bar back down once again. I was seeing spots. The bar touched my chest again, and I held it there, preparing myself to push it back up.

When I was ready, I ordered my arms to push back against the weight. The bar was half way up when it got stuck. I strained every muscle in my arms trying to push it up, but it was all in vain. No matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't go up.

 _It's gonna crush me,_ I thought suddenly before the weight was completely lifted off me. I sat up quickly, my arms numb. I panted into the open air with my eyes still closed.

When I finally caught my breath, I looked over my shoulder at my savior. I was surprised to see wide-eyed Rin standing behind me, a concerned look on her face. She was the only person who saw, and she was the only person standing here.

 _Well, this is embarrassing,_ I thought. "Th-thanks," I muttered, turning to face her.

She held the bar down on the hooks, as if it were going to jump off and attack her. Her concerned stare didn't go away.

"I'm fine," I assured her. "Just a little too much weight is all."

She looked to the other side of the room, where Kaito and Gakupo chatted with the other girls in the class. She looked back to me, cocking her head to the side.

It was funny. She didn't even have to speak for me to know what she was thinking. "They're being assholes," I answered. "And working out alone is better anyway."

She shook her head, her eyes falling on the bar that almost killed me mere seconds ago.

I shrugged. "Okay, maybe not _always._ " I stood up, and reached for a plate. "Can you take off the twenty-five on the other side?" I asked her.

She stared at me again before nodding and making her way over to the other end of the bar, sliding off the twenty-five pound plate and setting it back on the rack.

I positioned myself underneath the bar again, and lifted it up. It felt lighter than a feather. Rin stood at the head of the machine, looking down at me.

I lowered the bar. "You don't need to spot me," I told her. "I can do this much easily."

She shifted onto her left leg and crossed her arms.

I pushed the bar back up. "Alright, then."

The silent girl watched me finish my reps, only leaving the machine when we unloaded the bar, and she was sure I wasn't going to try to crush myself again. She went back over to the solo machines, and I realized she was doing the same thing I was: avoiding people. Except her strategy was much different from mine. She just worked on the machines where no spotter was needed, instead of going without one.

Smart girl.

The bell rang once again, and we all gathered our things and made our way to the locker rooms. I kept glancing over at Rin, who walked by herself ahead of the group, tapping away on her phone. I couldn't help but watch her until she opened the door to the girls' locker room, and closed it behind her.

I made my way to seventh period, thankful that I was still alive.

After the final bell rang, I made my way through the building back to the locker room. I caught a glimpse of most of my team walking in a group out the front doors. _Pathetic_ , I thought to myself as I continued down the hall, running down the stairs and into the Athletic Hallway. On the walls, pictures hung of our school's past star athletes. I remembered walking down the hall with Kaito and Gaku our freshman year, each of us vowing to one day have our pictures mounted with the greatest of the great. Now, I was determined to be the only of the three of us. To be the greatest, you have to practice.  
The locker room was quiet. There were only two other guys on the Varsity team here. We changed on our half of the locker room silently, while the Junior Varsity and Sophomore team roared on their half.  
 _Coach is gonna be pissed_ , I repeated to myself once again.  
And he was. We all came into the gym, shooting free throws for almost an hour before he finally showed up. He entered the double door and blew his whistle, signaling for all of us to separate into our teams. The JV and Sophomore teams were packed. And then there was the three of us.  
Coach looked over the groups, and stopped at me. "Where's my Varsity?" He asked after a moment of confusion. The gym suddenly went silent.  
I looked down at the ground, shaking my head.  
Coach stood in front of us, waiting for an answer. "Len. Where. Is. My. Varsity."

I couldn't say anything.

"Len!" He roared, his rough voice echoing throughout the gym.  
"They're all at this party," I admitted. "I told them not to go-"  
His death glare cut me off. Coach was a good guy, but when he was mad, it was World War 3. "You're telling me," he said quietly. "That my _Varsity team_ blew off practice r _ight before a game_ for some stupid _party_?"  
I hung my head in shame.  
Coach looked between the three of us. "I can't work with only three of you," he snapped, waving a dismissive hand in our direction. "Go shoot free throws or something. Just-" He turned away from us. "Just get out of my sights." He looked at the JV and Sophomore teams. "I guess I'm working with you guys today."

I watched him walk away from us with a furious expression on my face. My team was so fucking selfish. They don't show up and it reflects on _me_ as a captain. The other two gave me some apologetic looks, grabbed a basketball each off the rack, and went over to one off the hoops to shoot.

I clenched my fists. There was no way I could shoot steadily with the way I was shaking. I turned around, running out of the gym. I grabbed my water bottle off the stacked bleachers on my way out. I pulled open the entrance to the boys locker room, ignoring the incapacitating smell of Axe, and went for my bag. I yanked my phone out of one of the pockets.

 _Thanks, assholes. Now coach thinks I'm a shit captain._ I hit send, and leaned my head against my locker. For the second time that day, I felt the unignorable urge to be alone. I knew if I stayed in the locker room, Coach would find me eventually. I slipped my phone into the pocket of my shorts, and left. My steps echoed loudly as I stomped down the hall, past the smiling faces of all of my role models. Where's the last place they would expect me to be?

Well, that was an easy question. The Performing Arts Hall.

The school was completely empty. It was already almost dark outside, and the school was kind of eerie with no one around. The metal gates were pulled in front of the halls leading to the classrooms, and all the lights past them were turned off. I walked up the stairs in the commons, trying to use the creepy setting to take my mind off my rage, but to no avail. Across from the metal gate were the double doors leading down the Performing Arts Hall. A drinking fountain was attached to the wall right next to the doors. I walked over to it, holding down the buttons on the sides and holding the bottle perfectly under the small arc of water that trickled out. I took a deep breath. Their actions didn't reflect on me. No matter what _they_ did, _I_ was still passionate about my sport. _I_ still wanted to have my picture mounted in the Hall of Fame. _I_ still wanted to beat Rangeview next week.

I shook my head. To Coach, none of that mattered right now. All he cared about was that his Varsity team was filled with undedicated boys who'd rather get high at a party than get better at a sport.

My head perked up. The silence in the Commons was broken by the sweet sound of a piano coming from the Performing Arts Hallway. I looked down it, seeing that all the lights were off except for a thin line peeking through the crack of a door. A voice began to sing along with the piano. It was a girl, but no one I had ever heard before. I released the buttons on the fountain, screwing the cap onto my water bottle and walking down the dark hallway.

I hadn't walked down this hall since freshman year. Performing Arts had never really been my thing, and I was afraid I was going to trip over some unseen bench or table that had been placed over the years. But I was able to make my way through the unfamiliar territory without fail. The closer I was to the slightly open door, the more I was reminded of the Sirens in the ancient tale, The Odyssey. Though I had never been one for school work, t had always been one of my favorites, and walking down this hallway towards this beautiful voice seemed like it could, quite possibly, lead to an untimely death. But hey, I already almost died once today. And Coach was out for blood. It couldn't hurt.

I finally reached the door, and peeked through it. My eyes widened.

 _No fucking way._

It was the choir room. Inside, Rin, _mute_ Rin, was walking along the stands, singing. _Singing._ I could see her phone plugged into a speaker, no doubt the source of piano instrumentals that went along with her. She was dressed in her hoodie and leggings again, and her eyes were closed as she sang with the song.

The first thing that popped into my mind was lip-syncing, but I doubted it. Either she was the world's greatest lip-syncer, or she was singing.

I slowly pushed open the door, watching her dance around the stands gracefully. It was a wonder she didn't trip or fall off; she seemed to know exactly where each step turned and ended. With her eyes closed. She was _singing._

And her voice was _beautiful._

I didn't recognize the song she was singing, and could only assume it was an original by her. I didn't know her very well, but it did seem like a song Rin would come up with. Soft, quiet. With lots of high notes.

" _Kakuyuugouro nisa…"_

I just stared open-mouthed as her voice climbed up the scales, reaching higher notes than I thought was humanly possible.

The piano slowed, and her dancing ceased. For a second I thought the song was over, but then she opened her mouth again, singing with the slowed melody. Her eyes remained closed the entire time.

" _Tokei no byoushin ya terebi no shikaisha ya…"_

I forgot all about practice downstairs. I forgot all about my team ditching me. I forgot all about my bratty little brothers and my stressed out Mom and my asshole of a Dad. All I could think about was her.

God dammit she was _singing._

The piano picked up again, and her dancing resumed. She danced like she was one half of a ballroom duo, her oversized hoodie flowing after her through every twist and turn. Her voice rose with the crescendo of the piano, until she let out a high pitched shout, and rushed into the chorus of her song yet again.

The lyrics of the song was surprisingly dark. It was strange to hear such depressing lyrics coming from such a sweet voice.

I was still admiring her when the piano finally faded out, leaving her with her back to me, her shoulders heaving.

"Damn," I said aloud.

Like a startled animal, she whipped around, her eyes wide and her arms suddenly fixed to her sides. She stared at me like I was holding a weapon.

"You're really good," I commented, breaking the silence. "Like, holy shit."

She stared at me for a few silent seconds, and began to slowly shake her head back and forth. She looked ready to cry.

My shoulders slumped. "Hey," I took a step toward her. "It's okay."

She started shaking her head faster and faster. She opened her mouth, like she was prepared to say something, but no sound came out.

I took another step, and she stepped back, jumping off the stands and backing up to the speaker. She looked terrified.

I felt like shit. "Rin, it's okay. I won't tell anyone."

She backed up to the speaker and felt the table behind her for her phone, not taking her eyes off me the entire time. Her slender fingers finally gripped it, and she unplugged it, running over to her backpack and snatching it off the ground.

"Rin. Talk to me," I insisted.

She froze, opening her mouth again. Her eyes fell on the ground. "I-I…"

I waited patiently for her to find her words, watching her with a gentle gaze. I still couldn't believe it was actually _her_ voice. Her hair fell in strands around her face, the pins doing little to keep her bangs back. They must have come loose while she was dancing.

She shook her head again. "N-no."

"It's okay," I repeated.

"No," she insisted, not meeting my eyes.

"Rin, I-I'm sorry, I just couldn't help but hear you, and-"

"No!" She yelled this time. I could see tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

I took another step toward her, and her gaze snapped up at me. Like a scared rabbit, she bolted past me and out the door. "Rin!" I called after her. I followed her out into the hall, but she had already sprinted all the way down it, into the Commons, and out the front door.

I was left alone in the dark hall, wondering what I just witnessed.

The next day, I walked into first period, completely ignoring Kaito's calls from across the room. I knew he wanted to tell me all about the party, but I was still pissed at him, and I had more important things to worry about.

Rin sat at our table, leaning over a book. A different one from yesterday. This one was much thicker.

I set my backpack on the floor, and pulled out my chair. She didn't respond, but she looked tense.

I sighed, deciding that the best thing to do was probably to just ignore it. She obviously wasn't comfortable talking around people, and she definitely didn't want the teachers to know she could speak. Plus, after her breakdown the night before, I didn't have the heart to tell anyone. She had looked so scared…

Mrs. Gavriel strutted into the room, and began to teach her lesson the instant the bell rang. Rin put her book away, pulling out her notes and writing down everything our teacher wrote on the board. I didn't understand a word of it. Throughout class, I kept stealing glances over at her.

She didn't look at me once.

In every class we had together that day, I took much more interest in her than I ever had before. She only responded to people by nodding, shaking her head, smiling, and occasionally writing a sentence or two down on a piece of paper. I didn't see her anywhere at lunch. While it was quite possible she went off-campus, I could only imagine her curled up with a book in some unknown corner in the building, taking a bite out of a Subway sandwich each time she flipped a page.

She reappeared for sixth period, but, again, did not interact with me in any way. She completely ignored my existence. I decided during the class that I'd be civil with Kaito and Gaku, as I was still pretty scared from my near-death experience the day before, and I didn't feel like working out by myself. They were more than happy to welcome me back into the trio, and the next thing I knew, we were laughing and jump roping together.

But even when I was with them, I watched her.

Seventh period. The final class of the day, and the only other class I had with Rin where I actually sat next to her. Trigonometry. She was already in her seat when I walked in, still a bit sweaty from the workout. Of course, she was still reading her book. The idea popped into my head that maybe she wasn't even reading it. Maybe she was just using it as an excuse not to talk to me. Or, at least, interact with me.

I sat next to her. An unfamiliar adult sat behind the teacher's desk. Another sub, I guess. When the bell rang, the man stood, holding a piece of paper.

"Hey guys," he already seemed nicer than Mrs. Please-Say-Here from Chemistry yesterday. "You're teacher is out at some Math Department meeting, so I'm subbing for you today. And, uh…" he held up the paper in his hand. "I just need to take attendance real quick, and then you guys can get started on your work."

He began listing off names in alphabetical order. Rin shifted uncomfortable beside me, closing her book and putting it in her backpack, which lay in a crumpled heap on the floor next to her.

"Len Kagamine?" I was surprised he pronounced my name correctly.

"Here," I answered, still watching Rin.

"And, uh… Rin Kagene?"

Rin folded her arms in her lap, her head down. Through the strands of hair around her face, I could see her squeezing her eyes shut. I knew what she was waiting for. She was waiting for me to tell the entire class that she could talk this whole time. Three years of high school where she passed as a mute, when in reality, she could talk the whole time. Oh, the teachers would hate her. Lying to them all these years, making them look stupid by convincing them that she couldn't answer their questions, when she was really just too scared too. Too nervous to. She was more comfortable nodding and smiling at people than conversing with them. She could actually handle social interaction when she was mute.

"Rin Kagene?" The sub asked, seemingly from another dimension altogether. I could see a slight tremble in Rin's arms. She wore another hoodie today. Another baggy hoodie. Probably to hide herself from everybody. Her hoodies were her shield, just like her silence.

"She's here," I said, looking at the sub. He glanced at me, and I gestured to Rin next to me. "She can't talk. She's mute."

Rin lifted her head to me, her round eyes staring at me in disbelief. The first time she acknowledged me the entire day.

"Oh," the sub said awkwardly. "Sorry 'bout that." He continued reading off names.

She continued staring at me, and I grinned. Her eyes filled with gratitude, and she gave me a sweet smile in response.

Nobody had to know.

 _Hey guys! So, I was really surprised at all the support the first story got, and I was really eager to write the next one. I've started a ton of other short stories, but this one I started this morning and only just finished. I've been working on it nonstop, just like I did with Pochi. Again, from Len's perspective, though not all of them will be. In fact, the next one is from Rin's perspective._

 _Anyways, I had a lot of fun writing this, and it's late and I'm tired so please excuse any mistakes. My eyes can only handle so much._

 _The song for this one is the piano version of Rin's Meltdown, which is also the song she was singing in it. It's one of my favorite Vocaloid songs of all time, honestly._

 _Link -_ _watch?v=7C8CUUw4Chs_

 _Also, in my last story I forgot to thank you guys for reading. Sooooooo_

 _Thank you guys for reading :)_


	4. College-Rising Tides

_Rated T for language and some sexual references_

"God dammit," I muttered to myself, erasing yet another sentence out of my notes. I brushed the eraser flakes onto the floor, adding to the already mountainous pile. It was almost midnight, and the only light that shone in my small dorm room was a dim lamp sitting on the desk next to me. I knew I shouldn't have gone to that party yesterday. I had a huge test tomorrow, and last minute studying had never gone well for me.  
My procrastination had turned into unending stress. After writing down another wrong sentence, I threw my pencil down on my desk. I pushed myself away from my incomplete work, ripping my cream-colored bow off of my head and throwing it across the room in frustration. My fingers ran their way through my unmade hair as I tried to stop myself from shaking.  
I knew this would happen. I knew that party would be a waste of time. Miku had practically dragged me down there.  
 _Come on, Rin. You spend way too much time cooped up alone in your room_. College is about having fun, she had told me.  
No, college was for learning. Preparing me for my future. My job. My life.  
 _Oh my god I'm gonna fail this test tomorrow_ , I thought. _I'm gonna fail the test then the class then my life._ Can you even fail your life? I'm sure I could find a way. I felt tears forming at the corners of my eyes.  
"Okay, calm down," I said aloud, sitting down on the edge of my unmade bed. I rested my elbows on my knees with my exhausted face in my hands. "It's just one test. You're already doing fine in that class. One bad test couldn't hurt."  
Sleep. Sleep also couldn't hurt. I leaned back in my bed, taking a deep breath. My urge to burst into tears had passed, but, despite myself, my eyes were not tired. I was exhausted from life, not a lack of sleep.  
My silky blankets were cool on my skin. It felt soothing, but I couldn't find sleep. It had been nearly 2 p.m. when I woke up this morning. I wasn't tired.  
I needed something to relax myself. Besides laying in bed, alone with my thoughts.  
After nearly half an hour of tossing and turning, I threw the comforter on the floor. This was pointless. I sat up, pulling the curtains open next to my desk. My dorm had a perfect view of the empty beach, illuminated by the light of the moon. It was especially bright tonight.  
A walk would be nice. I closed the curtains and flipped the switch on the lamp. The room fell into darkness. One of my jackets was discarded on the floor next to the door, and I grabbed it. It zipped it up over my pajama shirt. I didn't bother changing my fluffy pants; there wouldn't be anyone out this late anyway. It wouldn't hurt anyone to walk around in pants with Hello Kitty all over them.  
The hall was quiet, and I tried not to disturb anyone as I made my way through it. My keys jingled lightly in the pocket of my jacket. The only lights in the building were over the stairwell. After sneaking my way down from the second floor, I was out into the world.  
It was warm for being midnight. I probably didn't even need to bring my jacket, but it was too late now. The sidewalk wrapped around the side of my dorm building, down the hill and towards the beach. My friends had all told me I was lucky to be assigned to the building right next to the campus hotspot, but, most of the time, I disagreed. I was not a morning person, and nothing was more annoying than people stomping their way through the halls, the scent of sunscreen and blow up rafts heavy in the air, at ten in the morning while I'm trying to sleep. I'd also never been much of a swimmer; the thought of floating in the open ocean honestly terrified me. On the rare occasion that I did find myself at the beach during the day, I never went any more than ankle-deep. The cool water had felt nice on my hot feet, but that was the extent of it.  
At night, however, there was no need to soak my hot feet. The sand was much cooler under the moonlight. The only positive thing I had found from living next to the beach were walks like this. The beach was peaceful at night, except for the rare occurrence where a couple who thinks they're being romantic spreads out a blanket and decides to roll around naked on it for a while. I've had to walk away from some awkward sights before.  
The path turned into a set of stone stairs leading down the hill, ending in the sand. I stepped a bare foot into it, I hadn't had any important reason to put shoes on, and made my way to the water. From the distance I was at, I could see the tide steadily coming in, and out.  
A voice reached my ears, and I rolled my eyes. Not another couple. I scanned the beach, surprised to see the lack of blankets spread across the sand. There was no one here.  
I kept walking toward the water. The voice grew a bit louder. It was a guy's. The closer I walked to the water, the louder it got.  
"...body there? Hello?" They were shouting. I looked around. Nobody. Except... I squinted my eyes. What was that down the beach? It looked like a dark spot in the sand. It wasn't big enough to be a person...  
"Hey! Hey, you!" Was it... Was it yelling at me? I slowly began to take steps toward it. The tide came in, the water nearly reaching the spot. Person? I didn't know what to think.  
"What the fuck?" I whispered to myself. The closer I got, the more it resembled... a head? An actual person's head?  
I froze, a strike of fear running through me. It moved. "Hey! A little help here?"  
I stared at it for a moment, before my fear was replaced with a sudden rush of realization and a hint of worry. I began running down the beach toward the person.  
A blonde boy was buried neck deep in the sand, the tide coming worryingly close to him. I stopped in front of him, staring down with wide eyes.  
"W-what- wha-" I didn't even know what to ask.  
He shook his head, causing small flecks of sand to fall out of his messy hair. He'd probably be shrugging his shoulders, if they weren't beneath the ground. "Freshman hazing," he said, his tone surprisingly carefree considering he was close to drowning. "I don't think the team realized that the water was coming in, threatening to kill me." He widened his eyes jokingly. "At least, I hope they're not trying to kill me."  
I furrowed my brow, opening my mouth to ask something. I had too many questions wanting to leave me mouth that it was crammed. No sound came out.  
He grinned up at me. His eyes were stunningly blue in the bright light of the moon. "Guess they forgot that water can drown people. Dumb jocks, right?"  
"Why are you making light of this?" I finally found my words.  
He gave me a sarcastic look. The water came back up, stopping mere inches from his neck before going back out to sea. "You're the one standing here while I get closer and closer to an untimely death."  
He had a point. I quickly fell to my knees in the wet sand, beginning to dig at the ground with my bare hands. Thankfully, it was still somewhat loose, and easy to push to the side. "So, uh, who did this to you?"  
He flicked his head to the side, trying to get his hair out of his face. "The football team. I'm new this year, and I guess this is just tradition."  
The collar of his white shirt was becoming visible under the sand. "What a bunch of dicks," I muttered.  
He could shrug now. "Hazing is just a tradition," he repeated.  
I shook my head. "Hazing is just a fancy word for bullying."  
"Why do you say that?" He asked.  
"Because your head is poking out of the sand as the fucking water comes in! You could drown."  
He raised his eyebrows. "Well if you keep digging this slow-"  
I cut him off my shoving my hands back into the hole that was forming in front of him. A great mound of displaced sand was growing next to me. The tide came back in, this time reaching him. He shivered as the water brushed against his neck, a few drops running into the hole in front of him.  
"Agh, Jesus. That's cold," he complained. "Dig out one of my arms. Then I can help you."  
I did as he told. The water retreated again. The sand was sticking to my pajama pants.  
"This was not how thought I'd be spending my night," I thought out loud.  
The boy laughed. "Me neither."  
My fingers brushed against the skin of his arm. "So," I began. "How exactly did you end up here?"  
He tried pulling his arm up, but the sand was still too heavy. I resumed my digging as he answered. "I woke up to the team carrying me down here, throwing me in a giant hole, and burying me. How they got in my room, I have no idea." He chuckled. "Last I saw of them, they were running up the stairs over there." He nodded in the direction I had come from.  
The sand was getting beneath my fingernails. I shivered, feeling uncomfortably dirty. I could only imagine what he felt like. "Try it now."  
He pulled his arm up again, this time freeing it from the sand. His shirt was short-sleeved. "Thank god," he uttered before trying to free his other arm.  
The water came back in again, and he froze. "Ah, shit," he cursed as the water completely flowed into the hole in front of him. "It's so cold."  
A look of worry came over me. "Fuck, fuck, I know. I'm sorry." _I went on this walk to get away from stress_. My movements were becoming panicked. I waited impatiently for the water to go back again. It left the hole filled with salty water.  
He chucked again. I could see goosebumps on his arms. "Guess it was a bad night to wear a white shirt to bed, huh?" His shirt clung to his built figure, not covering much.  
 _Ugh. Damn football players and their muscular selves_ , I complained silently. _The last thing I need is_ that _kind of distraction_.  
I was going to wait for the water to soak into the sand, but I instead rolled the sleeves of my jacket up and dove my bare arms in the water. The icy seawater felt like tiny pinpricks pinching every part of my skin.  
"What're you doing out this late, anyway?" He asked as he finally freed his other arm. The sand was only to his mid-chest now.  
I let out a laugh. "I was trying to get away from my homework."  
He grinned. "Leaving the stress of homework for the stress of saving a life. Classic."  
"Yeah," I confirmed. "At this rate your life is the only one I'll ever be saving."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
I sighed. "I'm trying to get my degree in nursing, and I have this huge test tomorrow that I'm probably gonna flunk."  
"I'm sure you'll do great," he assured me. _Thanks, random stranger._  
I felt my fingers brush against the wet fabric of his shirt. "I hope so."  
The tide came in again. It soaked my knees, and I watched in horror as it submerged the boy up to his neck. Thankfully, it retreated again before completely covering him.  
I resumed digging him out with newfound strength.  
He paused. "You know, you're pretty cute. When you're not saving my life, we should go get a coffee or something."  
I stared at him in disbelief, not stopping my digging. "You... Are about to drown," I muttered between heavy breaths. "Now is not... the time... to hit on me."  
He shrugged. "Point taken."  
I heard the sound of incoming water. I looked toward it, my heart dropping. "No no no no no!" I yelled as it came in, flowing over him. It covered up to his mouth. I didn't pause scooping out the sand this time.  
He spat onto the sand next to him when he emerged from the water. "Ugh, that tastes disgusting." He looked back at me. "Only a few more times, and you're gonna have to give me mouth-to-mouth when you get me outta here." He flashed me a half smile.  
"Shut up and dig!" I scolded. This time, it was him who listened to me.  
"Okay," I said, pulling my hands out of the water. The sand was only to his waist now. "I think I can pull you out."  
He tried moving his legs. The sand shifted slightly. "Okay," he said, holding out his arms. I grabbed them, leaning back. It wasn't enough.  
"Try standing," he suggested. He seemed a bit more serious now.  
I stood up, pulling back with all my might. The sound of the rushing water convinced me to pull even more. I strained against him, pulling his arms as hard as he could.  
"I'm out!" He yelled finally. I pulled him completely out of the hole, falling backwards in the process. My already soaked pajama pants landed in the sand with a loud _squish_. The boy crawled up to the dry part of the beach, rolling onto his back and panting. I did the same beside him.  
After we finally caught our breaths, he looked over at me. "Well. That was intense."  
I laughed. "Tell me about it." I sat up. He mirrored me.  
We stared at the water for a couple seconds. "I hate the ocean," he stated with a chuckle.  
I laughed. "Me too." Exhaustion dragged all over my body. All I could think about was going home and sleeping in my bed. My eyes widened, and I quickly stood up. Flecks of sand fell off me. "Shit," I cursed, running my hands through my empty pockets. "Shit!"  
He stood up next to me. "What is it?" His shirt clung completely to his frame. He was wearing grey sweatpants, also soaked. Sand caked his entire body.  
I looked out to the ocean, trying not to stare. "My keys! They must have fallen out or something," I said, distressed. How was I supposed to get in my room now? What about my notes? What about the test?  
He shrugged. "You can stay at my place if you need to."  
I shook my head. "No, no. You don't have to do that."  
"The office doesn't open until morning classes start. You won't be able to get in."  
"I can just sleep in the hall or something."  
He shook his head. "You just saved my life. It's the least I could do."  
I looked down at my clothes. He wasn't the only one dripping wet and covered in sand. "I'm just gonna mess up your dorm."  
He held his arms out. "Me too."  
I sighed. He wasn't going to let me refuse. "Okay, fine," I decided. "But only until I can get my new keys."  
He held his hands up defensively. "Whatever you say, Miss...?" He trailed off.  
"Rin," I answered for him. "I'm Rin." I started for the stairs. My freezing clothes stuck uncomfortably to my skin. "I'm Len," he replied, following me. He held out a hand, flashing me a head spinning smile. "Nice to meet you."  
I returned his expression. "Nice to meet you."  
We scaled the stairs in silence, until Len's voice cut through it.  
"Thanks for keeping me from drowning."  
"No problem," I answered.  
He looked me up and down. "I'm digging the Hello Kitty pajamas, by the way."  
A blush rose to my cheeks. "Shut up."

 _A little weird, I know, but a fun one._

 _Prompt: We met and the beach and I find you with only your head poking out of the sand and about to drown by the incoming tide._

 _Song this reminds me of? Love and Hate, probably. But everyone knows Rin and Len's version, so I'll link Miku and Luka's version by Hyurno. One of my favorites._

 _Suki Kirai - /NcFtfTxED5I_

 _I forgot to mention that the last story didn't have a prompt because it was one that I thought of. All the listed prompts come from OTP accounts on Tumblr. I would list them, but there are so many repeats that it's hard to tell who's prompt is who's. Speaking of Tumblr, be sure to follow my blog missusslimshady for updates. Just in case my internet stops working again or something. I also reblog a TON of Vocaloid stuff, especially Rin and Len._

 _Anyway, thank you guys for all the support and reviews. It really means alot to me._

 _Thanks for reading :)_


	5. Crime-Painting the Streets

_Rated M for language, tragic backstories, spray paint, being long as fuck, and other bad stuff_

It was early in the morning, though I was still running out of time to get ready for school. The early hours of the day were always spent sketching in my little black book, and though I woke up before the sun every day, I was often late.  
A stranger called from downstairs. "Rin! Breakfast!" The sweet voice echoed through the house.  
I rolled my eyes, closing the book and pushing myself away from the desk. My room was littered with clothes, towels, makeup, and God knows what else. The walls were decorated with posters of some of my favorite bands, movies, and video games. Just like any normal teenager's. My Queen-sized bed sat against the wall opposite the door, unmade sheets thrown all over it. The stranger called my room a pig sty. I called it my safe place.  
"Rin!"  
"I'm working on it!" I yelled back, groaning. I was already dressed in my normal jeans and hoodie for the day; no need for anything flashy. I didn't like attention. At least, not at school.

The kitchen was crowded, with the stranger standing with her back to me at the counter, bent over a burning stove. The babies sat in their high chairs around the wooden table with oddly colored baby food covering their chins. They grinned at me as I walked in, causing their breakfast to drip onto their bibs.

I curled my nose in disgust as the stranger turned to me. Her young features were still visible despite the hints of wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes and mouth. They were marks of her smiles and laughs. Something she had a lot of, now that she _actually_ had children. "I made you pancakes," she said flatly, setting down a plate of smooth buttermilk goodness in front of me.

"Janice, you know I don't like to eat breakfast," I responded with an eye roll.

The stranger took a quick frustrated breath, setting her hands on her hips. Even with her serious expression, her cheerful wrinkles were still there. "Rin, for the last time," she scolded. "I am your Mother. Don't call me Janice."

" _They're_ your kids." I pointed to the babies. They sat next to each other, Michael now rubbing his pasty food into his dark brown hair with Tyler clapping his hands and cheering him on. They were both almost two years old, and were the bane of my existence.

Janice sighed. "You are, too."

"Mhmm." I looked down at the counter behind her. My eyes fell on a familiar purple envelope, and my heart dropped.

Janice noticed. "Well," she muttered, turning to the letter. "If that's the way you feel about it-" she snatched the letter off the counter, and dropped it on the table. "-then here. You got another letter from your _real_ Mom."

I slid my hands into my pockets as I stared down the unopened letter. Sure enough, the name _Rin_ was written on it in neat cursive, with a return address all the way in California. There was only one person who sent me letters from that far away. For a rare moment I stood speechless. Every snide remark disappeared out of my brain. I gulped, and snatched up the letter.  
"When?" Was all I could ask.  
Janice had turned her back on me again. "This morning." The babies chuckled happily in the background, though they sounded miles away.  
I stared at it for another moment before finally regaining my composure. "I'm walking today," I stated as I shoved the letter in the pocket of my hoodie and made my way out of the kitchen.  
"It's raining!" Janice yelled over her shoulder, though I knew she didn't want to drive me to school.  
"Mhmm." My thin backpack was sitting on the couch. I picked up the crumpled pile and slung it over my shoulder. Rain was fun. It gave me new canvasses all over the city.  
The walk was peaceful. My street was empty of people. I could almost convince myself that I was the only person left on the planet, if not for the heavy letter in my front pocket. _I'll read it when I get to school_ , I promised myself. _Wouldn't want to get it wet_.  
I lived fairly close to my high school. As a junior, it was quite possible I was the only one in my class who still walked to school. The fund for my car had been spent on hospital bills and baby toys.  
I didn't entirely mind. A little exercise never hurt anybody.  
I walked through the front doors about ten minutes before first period. The perfect amount of time to get my binders out of my locker. The binders full of homework that I didn't do.  
The hallways were crowded, and I nearly ran into people on multiple occasions. Why teenagers decide to stand in huge groups in the middle of the hallway was beyond me, and by the time I finally reached the end of the jungle of bodies, I was pushing past people carelessly. My locker was, unfortunately, in one of the most crowded hallways of the school. But it had it's advantages; I could hear the latest gossip. Without get involved.  
I finally reached my locker, and began scrolling the combination. To my left stood the editor of the school paper, with her assistant next to her. Miku and Gumi, respectively. The spoke in hushed voices. I zoned my hearing in on their conversation, as I had become so accustomed to doing.  
"...usually I'd like this weather," Miku said in a ranting tone. Gumi stood next to her with her back to me. "But I heard there was new graffiti off of 7th. It's Ryu again."  
I grinned. I couldn't help it.  
Gumi's timid voice seemed so small coming after Miku's powerful one. "I saw it on my way to school," the green-haired girl muttered.  
I peeked past my locker door in time to see Miku's eyes widen. "Really?" She exclaimed. "What was it like."  
Gumi shrugged. "It was... a tiger, or something."  
I took an annoyed breath. It was pretty obviously a tiger. There's no "or something" about it.  
Miku's arms slowed as she became more interested in the conversation, and less in the arrangement of her locker. "How big was it?"  
Gumi held her binders to her chest tightly. "It was really wide; not very tall."  
Miku nodded. "Like all his paintings," she muttered. I was now observing the next Nancy Drew and her faithful sidekick.  
"B-but it was weird. Like- it wasn't a normal color," the sidekick continued, staring at the ground. "It was all blue. And it was walking on water...or something."  
If she says "or something" one more time I'm gonna scream. Yes, it was walking on fucking water. Are you blind?  
"Blue?" Miku asked. He rubbed the bottom of her chin. "I wonder what it symbolizes..."  
That I ran out of orange paint. I snickered, then hid behind my door before either of them could turn to look at me. They took no notice.  
Gumi began to shake her head slowly. "I really... I really don't see this story going anywhere," she confessed. "I mean, it's graffiti. Yeah. So what?"  
"So what?" Miku repeated, her voice rising. "The police have been looking for these people forever. Do you know the publicity I-" she cut herself off. "-we, could get if we could find out more information on this?" She shook her head, staring into her locker. She seemed to be talking more to herself by now. "I've always been an art nerd, anyway."  
Gumi sighed hopelessly. "If the police can't find them, what makes you think we can?"  
At the final word, Miku slammed her locker shut with such force that both Gumi and I jumped. The blue-haired girl stared down at her poor sidekick. "Determination," she stage-whispered. "The cops only care at night. I care all the time."  
I grinned into my locker. She had a point.  
"Ugh," she continued. "Imagine getting an interview with one of them."  
A confused look overcame Gumi's face. "...One? One of who?"  
Miku groaned. "Ryu or Twitch! Or..." her expression twisted into a dreamy state again. "Ryu _and_ Twitch! Can you imagine? The biggest illegal rivalry in the city! And they're not even gang members or anything."  
Gumi shook her head again. "You don't know that."  
Once again, I snickered. This time, however, I was unable to hide behind my door in time, before the editor's eyes locked with mine. "Is something funny?" She asked harshly. Her eyes burned with a mix of passion and anger.  
I shrugged. "No ma'am," I answered sarcastically. With all my needed binders in my backpack, I shut my locker, spinning the dial around. "Good luck on your... interview." I turned my back on her, and made my way to first period.  
"Ugh. People need to mind their own business," I heard Miku mutter behind me.  
I grinned at the pure irony of her comment.

When I sat in my History class for first period, I was painfully aware of the letter in my pocket. I was at school. I was inside. I should read it. But as my fingertips brushed against the edges of the envelope, I hesitated. Why did she need to send me another letter? We both knew that she wanted as little communication as possible with me. Why send me this at all? Why send me letters in general at all?

The teacher walked in, and part of me was relieved. _I'll wait until class is over,_ I thought as I stored it back into my pocket. _Wouldn't want it to get taken away... or anything_.

Class was boring, as usual. First period passed, then second, third, and fourth. With only one more classes to go for the day, I strutted into fifth period Geology in a half-decent mood. The letter still sat in my pocket, unopened.

It was a good five minutes before the bell was to ring when I took my seat. There were only a few students in the class, mostly the quiet ones, along with Mrs. Brown sitting behind her desk. Her short, stubby nose was in a magazine. Behind her glasses, her dull brown eyes scanned the paper in front of her. She was likely my least favorite teacher, often coming off as lazy and irritable. More than half the time the entire class was given busy work in the form of worksheets and guided notes out of a book. While the entire class fucked around, copied answers from each other, and sometimes even left in the middle of class, she never looked up from the last edition of _People_ magazine. As if people were actually that interesting.

Students began pouring in through the doors. Miku was one of them. Her bright blue twintails defined her easily from the rest of the crowd like a black sheep. I sighed as she took her seat next to me, talking to her friends at the table next to us. She paid no attention to my existence in the slightest.

Mrs. Brown did her usual introduction as the bell rang, passed out a piece of paper, and returned to her magazine. Geology had never been my specialty, but I was decent enough at it. The worksheet she gave us today was fairly easy as well. With my headphones in my ears, I filled it out mindlessly, my thoughts still on the letter. The letter, the letter, the _stupid letter_. What could it possibly be this time?

I finished my paper, and leaned back in my chair. Miku was still socializing with her friends next to me. I snuck a peek at her paper, taking satisfaction in the fact that there wasn't a single answer filled in. So much for a model student.

My favorite song began to play. I closed my eyes, listening to it, trying to clear my mind of my birth mother. How dare she? How dare she give me up just to write me letters all the time?

I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. Breathing exercises had always worked best in calming me down. Honestly, I didn't _have_ to read it. I imagined lighting the fire pit in our backyard and throwing the paper in after it. But then I would never know why. She probably had some good reason to write me; she usually didn't just send me these out of the blue. Maybe one of her family members died. Or maybe she was sick. Or dying. Someone had to be dying.

To my dismay, my song ended, and I opened my eyes once more. The room looked exactly as it had when I'd mentally left it; a bunch of teenagers slacking off and a filled out answer sheet in front of me. I swiped the paper up. Might as well turn it in now. I stepped over the jungle of backpacks and set my paper on Mrs. Brown's desk in a stack of the others' worksheets. She didn't even look up from her reading. I cast her one last annoyed glance- she didn't see it anyway- before returning to my seat. With nothing to do, I pulled out my phone, scrolling away on it. It was times of boredom like this when I wished I had my sketchbook with me. A vision of it sitting open on the desk in my room popped into my head. I hadn't forgotten it; I had left it on purpose. As I did every day. If any person of authority caught me with those sketches and matched them up with… ugh. I'd be in deep shit.

From the corner of my eye I saw the bright blue hair rise from its' seat and make it's way to the front of the room. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that she cast me a glance before setting her paper on the front desk. I suddenly took interest in her as she lingered by Mrs. Brown for a moment. She took her nose out of the magazine, pointing it up toward Miku as the newspaper editor spoke to her. I couldn't hear them over the chatter of the crowd, but I had an odd feeling about it.

My gaze snapped back down to the screen as Miku turned her back on the teacher and made her way back to her seat. Mrs. Brown set the magazine down after dog-earing the page she was on, and grabbed the stack of papers. "Is everyone finished?" She called to the inattentive classroom. A quick scan of the empty tables proved that the answer was yes. She pulled a pen out of her desk drawer, and already began to grade the papers. _Whatever works, I guess._

When she was done, she stood up and began to pass out the papers. She moved her way around the room slowly, like she had just gotten out of bed. When she finally reached my table, she slid Miku's paper to her, and mine to me. With one glance down at it, my temper began to flare.

 _0\. Answers same as Miku's. Do your own work please._

Miku shook her head next to me. "Tsk tsk," she began, her friends giggling at the exchange behind her. "Maybe you should do your own work next time."

I took a sharp breath in. All this, just for listening to her bitch about how she wants to be the next big thing in journalism? When did she even get my answers?

That was obvious. While I was idiotically sitting with my eyes closed, my filled out paper in front of me. I should have known something like this would happen.

With a look of pure fury, I replied sarcastically: "Maybe you should mind your own business."

She raised her eyebrows, and her jaw dropped. Knowing that it was her word against mine, I grabbed my paper, angrily tore it in half, and threw the scraps down at her. No one would believe me over this "model student." She gave me a disgusted look and pushed the scraps on the floor while I slung my backpack over my shoulder, and stormed out of the room. In my fury, I ignored all the heads turn my way. I was leaving almost half an hour early.

The halls were empty, and that was probably a good thing. I had never been too worried about my grades, but by now, not even the flames of Hell had a fury like mine. It was just the cherry on top of a shitty day sundae.

It was still raining. Even harder now, actually. Instead of following the sidewalk south, towards home, I decided to follow east, into the nearby neighborhood. The last thing I wanted to do was go home to a household of screaming babies and a pissed off mother wondering why I was home so early. And, again, walking in the rain was always a nice time.

The streets were empty, and the houses were dark. Everybody was likely at work or at school still. My inner criminal pointed out how exhilarating it would be to break into one of the empty homes, but my common sense disagreed. I may be a criminal, but I was no robber.

The rain fell on the sidewalk in a steady stream of sound. The only interruption to the stream were my padding, wet feet, stepping into every puddle I passed. No matter how deep. _Janice is gonna be pissed when I get home_ , I thought as the dark spots on my jeans traveled further and further up my leg.

I suddenly remembered the letter in my pocket, and quit my childish playing. I still hadn't decided what to do with it, but getting it soaked wasn't on the list of ideas. At least, not yet.

No sooner had I decided to dry myself off did I hear the sound of a car turn onto the street behind me. I was annoyed at the noisy sound of tires squeaking against wet pavement, and I turned to see a red truck coming my way. My shoulders slumped.

 _God dammit._

The windows rolled down, and Miku popped her head out of the drivers' side window. Her friends were in the car behind her. Was school really out already? Had I been walking around the neighborhood for that long? It felt like I just left.

Miku wore a smug look on her face as the car sped toward me. Her hair hung out of the window with her, almost reaching the bottom of the door. I couldn't do anything except watch as she opened her mouth.

"Had enough yet?" She yelled as the car hit a huge pond of water in the street next to me. She laughed hysterically, along with some other voices I could barely hear over the waterfall rushing toward me, as the water drenched me from head to toe. I snatched the letter out of my pocket, not watching the truck as it sped away. I shook the letter out as fast as I could. Tiny water droplets fell from it, but it didn't seem ruined.

How typical. I eavesdrop on one conversation and she terrorizes me for an entire day. _Don't fucking mess with Miku, I guess._

I sighed, and took that as a cue to go home. With my clothes now completely soaked all the way through, I was going to get a lot colder a lot quicker. Especially with darkness nearing.

Nearly an hour later, I slammed open the front door of my house and dropped my dripping heap of schoolwork next to the door. Janice was sitting on the couch, and turned her head toward me as I entered.

"Oh my God, Rin!" she exclaimed, jumping up. She used her overprotective-mother voice that I hated so much. "What happened to you?"

During the walk home, the scenario had settled into my head, and my attitude toward it had turned from "Whatever" to, "The next time I see that bitch I'm gonna strangle her." The letter was almost dry, but the paper was waved and crunchy. I was terrified that the words inside had smudged, but I couldn't admit it to myself.

"Rin?" Janice watched my with wide eyes. I stopped to look at her. Still in her pajamas, she looked like she woke up mere seconds ago. Her hair was tangled in a messy bedhead of knots, and her expression was soft.

But I could see right through it. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my tears from flowing. "Don't act like you care," I snarled.

Her gentle expression collapsed. I didn't stay around to watch, and instead continued bounding up the stairs two at a time. I had never been so relieved to reach the safe-haven that was my room.

After stripping off my wet clothes and replacing them with new ones, I fell into my bed, unable to find the courage to close my eyes. The letter sat on my desk, next to my sketchbook. I sighed, pushing myself off the soft mattress. _No more stalling. It can't make you feel any shittier than you already felt._

Boy, was I wrong.

 _Dear Rin,_

 _I know we haven't written you in a while, but I feel like we both need some closure about everything that's happened. We've never discussed this, but I know you think it was cruel of us to give you up. But please, just hear us out. There were so many reasons for us to put you up for adoption. We just couldn't afford to have a daughter. And the tradition back in China was for a boy to carry on the family name; it just wouldn't have been right._

 _Now that we've lived here in America for some years, your father and I have realized how ungrateful we were. Last week, we discovered that we were pregnant again, and we have decided to keep it, regardless of its gender. I thought you should know. This is also going to be the last letter I'll ever write, and if you decide to respond, I'll keep it forever._

 _I'm sorry for doing what I've done, but there's no going back now. I hope you're happy where you are, and I hope that one day you can forgive me._

 _~Mom_

My hands shook as I read the last sentence. With a burst of fury, I ripped the letter apart. I didn't need to hear about China's only-one-child policy or the burden I would have been if they kept me. Just because I was a girl doesn't mean I couldn't work. Couldn't earn them money. I could do anything any son could do.

 _And Hell will freeze over before I ever even_ think _of forgiving you,_ I thought, ripping the paper into the smallest pieces I possibly could. I felt the sudden need to wash my hands; I'd been carrying around that sick piece of paper all day. Unknowingly carrying with me a tainted letter.

Another kid? A sibling? That I'll never meet?

Why would she tell me this? This was no "closure." This was leaving us on worst terms than before. I'd never written back before, either, and this time was going to be no different. If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.

I sat on my bed, resting my head in my hands. My room was dark, just like my mood. It was nearly eight o'clock already. I briefly considered going to bed, when my eye caught on my open sketchbook.

It rained. Everything would be washed away. Janice knew I was in a terrible mood; she would probably figure that I went to bed. I also hadn't gone out in almost a week… and I had some great ideas in my book.

But when I did leave, I usually waited until _at least_ midnight. Then, I was less likely to get caught by the police. And I'd evaded them so far…

My mind went back to my urge to rob a house earlier that day. _If I don't do something illegal soon, I'm going to explode._

With that decisive thought, I quietly bounded across the room to my door, locking it. The sweatpants I'd changed into were black; no need to change them. I grabbed a torn, paint-stained black hoodie from the back of my closet and slid it on over my shirt. It was about three sizes too big for me. Perfect. Above it hung my dust mask; a styrofoam cover to put over my mouth and nose. It was also black. Anything to blend in with the night. I strung the mask around my neck, letting it hang loosely below my chin. I wouldn't need to put it on until I left.

Thankful that I had carpeted floors, I gently pulled my dresser away from my wall. Behind it was a large hole in the drywall, where I stashed my spray paint. The brightly colored cans were stored in a black duffle bag that I constantly strung over my shoulder whenever I went bombing. If the cops ever caught me with this stuff, I'd be charged in seconds. It added so much more to the excitement.

I zipped open the bag, counting for all of my cans. All eight of them were accounted for; blue, red, yellow, orange, green, white, and two cans of black. It was always the most important one. Each can was wrapped in a cloth that corresponded to it's color. The black cans had black cloth wrapped around them to keep them from clinking against each other while I moved. And idea I came up with myself.

With the bag zipped back up, I pulled it out of it's hiding spot, and set it on the floor next to me. I pushed the dresser back against the wall. The hole in the wall was completely invisible with the dresser in front of it.

I stood, wrapping the strap over my shoulder. My mask slid over my mouth, and I pulled my hood up. A pair of work gloves were in my bag, and I slid them on. I bet you can guess what color they were.

My entire body looked like a shadow, except for my eyes. The only part of my skin that was showing were my determined, narrowed, vengeful eyes.

I slid open my window. It led onto a ledge of my roof, slanting down toward the ground. I crawled out of it, checking around me to see if there were any lights on in the houses around me. There were. _Shit._

The window closed silently behind me. I creeped my way down the roof, sitting on the edge, and dangling my legs over the edge. The drop was about seven or eight feet, and it always seemed intimidating at first. But after so many escapes, the fear only lasted a moment. I effortlessly jumped down, the impact hurting my legs for a mere moment before the pain faded. Now, the hard part. Creeping through my neighborhood without being seen.

I always like a challenge.

It surprised me how quickly the streets of the city cleared at night.  
Even though I kept to alleyways and side streets, I occasionally caught a glimpse of the main road; empty to both cars and pedestrians. My phone said it was 9:34, but it seemed like the early hours of the morning. The rain had stopped, but the streets were still soaked. Luckily, the sides of the buildings had dried enough to paint on.  
In the city, there was a certain section of streets where we painted. I only knew my peers by their aliases, and had never seen any of them in person. Only their works. I had a general dislike for them, however; they often tagged each others paintings. It was so disrespectful. I'd been lucky enough to never have one of my works tagged, but they knew not to mess with me. There was only one person who could compete with me. The one person who I'd never seen tag anyone else's work.  
We chose these few roads because there were always few people, few cops, and few cameras. I'd heard of so many stupid artists getting arrested because they forgot to check the building for cameras before they pulled out their cans.  
My favorite alley in the Spray-Zone I called The Spine; because it was in the shape of one. One wide alley ran between streets, with a bunch of smaller alleys running off from it. It was in the very middle of the Zone, and I was one of the two people to paint here. No one else dared.  
I checked every branched alley for Twitch's latest painting, though I didn't expect to find one. His older works wouldn't survive the rain, so the only way I would see one was if he came out before me, which I doubted.  
For a while, I didn't find anything. I had been walking around dumpsters and stepping over trash for only ten minutes when I stopped in the middle of the Spine, and gave up. There was no point in searching the rest of the branches; there was nothing.  
I sighed, staring through one of the branches at the street on the other side. The only sounds around me was the steady drip of water somewhere, and my loud breathing through the dust mask. There were no lights back here, but it never took long for my eyes to adjust. It was cold, but not uncomfortably so.  
I wondered where I should draw. What should I draw? It felt weird making two pieces in a row; usually I'd do one, then Twitch would do one next to it, then I'd do one next to that, and we'd keep going until our entire wall was filled. Or until it rained, then we'd start over.  
I guess we could just start over.  
I took a decisive step down the path, turning into the branch where my tiger was. I was not prepared for the sight that met me. By some miracle, my drawing was still there. I went from a walk to a full out sprint toward it, grinding to a halt when I reached the mess of colors. But what really caught my eye was next to it.  
A maze stretched high off the ground, and at least five feet to both sides. The backdrop was snow-white, with the dark lines forming patterns against it. It was massive, and surprisingly simple. But beautiful nonetheless. It was an obvious work of Twitch; I didn't need to see his scribbly tag, or signature, below it to know that. I found the beginning of the maze, and softly placed a gloved finger on it. My finger moved through the complex pattern of twists and turns, leading up to the top of the maze, then to the right, then back down, and ending... right back at the beginning.  
I furrowed my brow, thinking that I must have made a mistake somewhere. My eyes scanned the edges of the drawing, trying to find an exit, but there was only one. The entrance. I tried following the path again, this time taking different twists and turns. But no matter where I went, I always ended up right back where I started.  
 _Oh shit_ , I thought. _That's deep._  
I admired his drawing for a long time before turning my attention to the one next to it. Gumi had been right; it was a blue tiger walking on water. Or, at least, it had been. The rain had obviously dripped down the wall, running the paint with it. It only halfway destroyed it, making it even worse.  
My shoulders slumped at the pathetic sight of my work. It was ruined. The black stripes of the tiger now ran all the way down to the ground, through the ripples in the water. The white of the right eye ran down it's face creepily, but the downpour had spared the left side of the poor tiger's face. It's remaining eye stared at me, still showing the same expression as when I drew it. Determination. Courage. A will to live.  
With my eyes still on the brave cat, I unzipped my bag, pulling out the blue can with one hand and a black can in the other. I popped the lids off with my thumbs, letting them rattle on the ground for a few seconds before I finally decided to move.  
Slowly, I rebuilt it's face. First the black of the outline, then the blue of the fur, then the outline of it's features. I ran a finger through the wet paint, simulating the fur poking out away from it's nose. It still watched me. It almost looked thankful.  
With two eyes and a large head in front of me, I stepped back. It's body, along with the ripples below it, were still ghostly, but it almost seemed to fit. The lids sat on the pavement near me. I picked them up, capping the blue can, and returning it to the safety of my bag. There was one more thing I had to do.  
I gave the black can a few more shakes before taking a knee in front of my faded tag of the first draft, and slowly went over it with the blocky letters of my tag _\- Ryu._  
I stood to admire my work. I hoped it wouldn't come off as lazy, but I decided that I didn't care. I liked it. Wasn't that all that mattered?  
I nearly jumped out of my skin as a voice sounded behind me.  
"So you're Ryu."  
I whirled around, preparing myself for the sprint of my life. But there wasn't a cop behind me, but a boy who was dressed just like me. Black pants, black zip-up jacket. His dust mask was white, however, which I found odd. Under his hood, small strands of blonde hair poked out.  
My hands found the strap of my duffle bag. In my shock, I remained silent. This was the first time I'd ever been caught bombing.  
He was sitting on a dumpster, leaning back against the brick wall behind him. "Finally," he muttered, an amused tone to his voice. I couldn't see any of his facial features except for his eyes. The white of his mask and the black of his hood made the blue in his eyes pop. I briefly wondered if my hood did the same for mine.

"I've been waiting to meet you," he continued as he pushed himself off the dumpster. I took a cautious step back as his feet hit the wet pavement. I expected him to be a little taller; he was probably a mere inch or two taller than I was. He held out a hand. I noticed he wasn't wearing gloves. "Twitch."

My eyes widened. I'd known this person for so long, and yet this was the first time I met him. This was _the_ Twitch.

Despite my awe, I was still hesitant to hold out my hand toward him. After a moment, I grabbed his hand and shook it. "Ryu," I answered.

His grip on my hand tightened at the sound of my voice, and my heartbeat picked up. He cocked his head to the side and stared at me with narrowed eyes. "What?"

Did he not hear me? "R-Ryu," I repeated, cursing myself for stuttering.

He still held on to my hand. I prayed that he was unable to tell that I was shaking. "Are you… Are you a _girl_?"

I let out a laugh before I could stop myself. "Yeah," I answered, feeling relieved. "I'm a girl."

He finally let go of my hand. "Huh." His hands slid into the pockets of his jacket. "I always thought…"

"Yeah," I cut him off, still not sure if I could trust him. "A lot of people do."

An awkward silence fell over us as he watched me. I could see the gears turning in his head, but I had no idea what he was thinking. For all I knew, he could be plotting my murder right now. I mean, I'd always taken him as a decent person, but I only knew him through his artwork. Meeting him now made me realize just how little I actually knew about him.

He shook his head. "It's crazy to finally meet you," he exclaimed. "Like, I feel like I've known you forever." He practically spoke my mind. I began to notice the unique way he spoke; quickly, like if he didn't get his thoughts out soon enough, he'd forget them.

"Yeah…" I didn't know what to say.

His big eyes fell on my duffle bag. "A little clunky, dontcha think?" There was humor in his voice.

I shrugged, tightening my grip of the strap. "It works."

"So you use cans, I'm guessing."

I nodded. "Yeah."

He jumped back up on the dumpster, sitting with his legs dangling over the edge. "I couldn't do it. Cans make too much noise."

I unzipped the bag, and pulled out the first canister my fingertips brushed against. It was the red one. "I just wrap them in old washcloths," I explained, turning it over in my hand. Twitch stared at the can, clearly intrigued by it.

"Shit. Never thought of that."

I shrugged. "Whatever works." I furrowed my brow, a sudden question popping into my head. "If you don't use cans, what do you use?" I'd never heard of anyone using anything other than spray paint to paint walls.

"Markers," he answered casually.

"Markers?"

He chuckled at my naivete. I stared, confused as he unzipped his jacket, and held it open. On the inside were pockets with markers in them. They were way thicker than any marker I'd ever seen. He was also wearing a black t-shirt.

"Paint markers?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yup. They're so much easier."

I turned around, looking up at his maze. "That explains the sharp corners," I observed. I could never get edges that defined with spray paint.

Once again, he jumped off the dumpster, and stood next to me, admiring his work. "Yeah. I used cans for a while when I first started, but they never really worked for me. I've heard that not a lot of people use them anymore."

I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. "Oh…"

He was quick to dismiss my embarrassed voice. "No-no, it's not a bad thing. I actually think it's cool that at least _someone_ is sticking to the classics." His head turned from his maze to my tiger. "And you do the _craziest_ things with it. Gives it your own style."

I didn't know how to respond to the compliment. "Huh. Never thought of it that way. I always thought my stuff looked… _immature_ , I guess, compared to yours."

"Hah, no way." He looked at me, the distant street lamps reflecting in his eyes. "All I draw is a bunch of lines."

I smiled, though I knew he couldn't see it. "Isn't that all drawing is? A bunch of lines?"

"My lines are shitter than yours."

"Hah, as if."

The echo of the dripping water seemed to grow louder as we both fell silent. It was such a strange feeling to be with someone in my costume. This outfit held an aura of mysteriousness, but now it seemed weaker with Twitch. Someone knew me. Someone knew who I was.

Kind of.

"It's kind of sad," Twitch's quick words cut through the silence. "How you work so hard on something, only to have it washed away." His eyes were on my faded tiger.

I shrugged. "I think it's beautiful."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's always the favorites that get washed away first, too. 'Nothing gold can stay,'" I quoted, before turning to meet his confused expression. "Robert Frost."

"I have to disagree," he replied flatly.

"Why?"

He took a deep breath. "There's this one work that you did a long ass time ago. It's this smaller portrait of a girl with red hair smoking a cigarette. I don't know why, but I _love_ it."

"I don't remember it," I admitted. With so many different drawings over the years, I could only remember a few. And even those… The memories were all fuzzy.

He widened his eyes at me. "Really? It's _way_ in the ghetto."

"It's still there?" I asked unbelievingly.

"It's on the back of this abandoned building under a scaffolding. It was there last week when I went to go look at it last."

I was flattered. I had always considered myself a fan of his. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that he was a fan of me as well.

A wave of curiosity hit me. "Can we go see it?" As soon as the word "we" left my mouth, I regretted it. But I didn't have to; he seemed just as psyched about the adventure as I did.

"Fuck yeah," he answered, turning down the alley. "Let's go."

He traveled like he talked. Fast. There was no walking with him, only running. Sometimes it was a light jog, sometimes he full-out sprinted, but he never walked. It didn't take long for me to realize why he preferred the lightweight markers over the heavy cans. The duffle bag hit against my leg with every step, and before long, I looked like I was limping.

We were jogging just outside of the Spray Zone when I stopped, and leaned against a wall to catch my breath.

Twitch traveled a few more steps, before stopping and looking at me over his shoulder. "Heh," he chuckled, his tone apologetic. "Sorry. I have a lot of energy, I guess."

Despite myself, I laughed. "That's… an understatement," I muttered between labored breaths.

He leaned against the wall next to me. I was annoyed to see that he had barely broken a sweat.

"Could we-maybe… uh, _walk_ the rest of the way?" I asked.

"Sure. I don't have anything against walking." His dust mask had begun to slide down his nose, and he pushed it back up.

We began walking again, leaving the Spray Zone. He walked briskly, but walking quickly was much better than running slowly.

The smell of rain was still heavy in the air. I wondered if the streets would ever dry at this rate. With every corner, there was a bigger puddle to trudge through. It was nothing like earlier, but the rain was beginning to soak into my clothes again. With every breeze, I shivered.

"So why Ryu?" Twitch asked. In the hour that I've known him, I'd become accustomed to his questions being asked at the most random of times.

I sighed. "It's a long story."

"It's a long walk," he countered as we turned a corner. "We got time."

I looked down at the ground. "I don't know where to start."

He chuckled. "The beginning?"

More silence. I concentrated on the sound of our synced footsteps as I gathered my thoughts. "It's what my birth parents would have named me. If I was a boy."

For the first time, he was caught off guard. It was clear that he didn't know how to respond, so I didn't let him.

"They lived in China when they had me. And with the whole, 'only one child' rule, they wanted a son." I paused. "Most people wanted there wanted a son."

"I heard about that." His tone was dark. "It's, like, something with their culture, right?"

"Kinda. The boys are supposed to bring in more money." I shifted the strap of my bag on my shoulder. "The girls are a burden."

"That's fucked up."

I chuckled, though I didn't find the subject funny at all. "Yeah."

"Can't be much worse now, though." I knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but his comment did the opposite.

"Oh trust me, it can," I replied softly.

He gave me a questioning look, then quickly corrected himself. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

"Nah, it's fine. It's kind of nice to actually talk about it. Especially to someone who doesn't know me," I pointed out. Just from his eyes, I could tell he smiled at the thought.

"So, the people that adopted me," I began. "Was this couple who thought they couldn't have kids. The doctors were saying how Janice- my adopted mom -was infertile, or something. And it was kinda nice, for a while, because they spoiled me, bought me all this shit, took me all these places, and did all these things for me."

"What changed?" He asked.

"Well, they ended up going to the hospital one day because Janice was getting sick all the time, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Then the doctors found out she was pregnant."

"I thought she couldn't have kids."

I sighed. "They thought that too. So, not only does she pop out one baby, but two. And we moved out of this house that I absolutely adored into this new place, and instead of me getting the nice room, the twins get it. And, I know it's not really their fault, but it's obvious that they're gonna prefer their own flesh and blood over another one of China's lost girls." I paused, half expecting him to say something. When he didn't, I went on. "And there was little twelve-year-old me wondering why Mommy and Daddy didn't love her anymore."

He didn't meet my gaze. "Jesus."

I didn't reply. I didn't have to.

After a moment of silence, the smile in his eyes returned. "You don't look like you're from China."

I laughed at the unexpected joke. "I get that a lot."

We were nearing the edge of the city. I very vaguely remembered this area of town, only because of the large amount of unfinished buildings. Apartment complexes stood half-finished on either side of a cracked road with no street lights. The walls were completely made up of the exposed wooden structure, and nothing else. No doors, carpet, wallpaper, or anything. It looked like everyone just gave up completely on it one day and left all their belongings inside.

"This place gives me the creeps," I thought out loud.

"It gives a lot of people the creeps," Twitch pointed out. "That's why it's so perfect for the… less-skilled artists."

There weren't any alleyways in this part of town, but it didn't matter. There were no people, either.

Then the situation dawned on me. I was walking through the creepy, abandoned part of the city, going to find a piece of graffiti that I don't remember drawing, with a complete stranger. My heartbeat picked up again, just like when we'd been running. I always kept a small pocketknife at the bottom of the duffle bag, just in case, but I didn't know if I could reach it in time if I needed it. I cast a suspicious look over at Twitch, who took no notice. He kept his eyes forward.

I didn't know what to do. What were my options, even? Keep following him, or just turn and run?

 _No,_ I thought. _You're being unreasonable. If he wanted to hurt you, he would have done it already._

Twitch suddenly veered to the right, toward an empty gas station. "It's on the other side of this wall," he assured me. The gas station was completely empty. The windows to the building were dark, and the pumps weren't even there anymore. It was just an empty, wet, concrete lot. With an empty building.

When his back was turned to me, I quietly unzipped my bag, feeling past the cans to the rip in the bottom, where I hid the knife. I followed him as I did this, making sure to step loud enough for him to hear. My fingers gripped the weapon. If he tried anything…

My worries completely vanished when we grounded the corner, and I saw the piece. My grip on the knife loosened. It was just as he described it; a girl with long, red hair flowing around her like a border, with a brown cigarette between her full lips that were nearly the same red as her locks.

"Oh my god," I whispered, smiling. "I _do_ remember this." My hand rose out of my bag as Twitch stopped in front of it, turning to me.

I ran my hand over the long-dried paint. "She was one of my old friends," I explained. My mind reminisced about her. "I always thought it was crazy that she had firetruck-red hair," I commented with a laugh.

Part of me had forgotten Twitch was even there. "She's a real person?"

I touched the cigarette. "I don't remember her being a smoker... " I furrowed my brow. "I wonder why I did that." As I scanned the faded drawing, my eyes fell on the tag at the bottom. My heart dropped. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Twitch walked up next to me, and followed my gaze down. His eyes flared. "No fucking way."

"They tagged it," I whispered.

"They fucking didn't."

Oh, but they did. Over my sloppy, faded signature were the words "Red and Blue Crew" in newly placed ink.

I heard Twitch's breathing become heavy next to me. "It's new," he growled.

I sighed. "Oh well," I muttered. "At least they didn't tag over the actual drawing."

Twitch shot an angry look at me. "No, fuck that." His words came out with such sudden anger that my knife flashed into my mind again. "How dare they." He turned his back to the painting, and let out an echoing yell. I widened my eyes, backing away from both him and the wall.

"I hate those assholes!" He yelled to no one in particular. "They think they're so fucking good because they can tag other people's hard work?"

"Who are _they_?" I asked timidly.

"This new group that's popped up around town who think they're hot shit because they can write four words in sharpie on a fucking wall."

I was stunned by his sudden outburst.

He stomped around in circles with his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Ugh, that fucking pisses me off!" His gaze snapped to me, and my heart nearly stopped. "See, this is why I always liked you," he began, taking a step towards me. "We could have this-" he made quotation marks with his fingers. "'-rivalry' without being dicks to each other. Like, we appreciate each other." He held out an arm to the tag. "This is fucking bullshit. They think if it's not theirs, it's not worth their time. And I _hate_ self-centered, ungrateful pricks like that."

Another thing learned: Twitch was quick to anger. "It's okay," I assured him. "It's no biggie."

"How can you not be enraged by this?" He yelled. "They're being so disrespectful to both you, and your artwork." He turned his back on me, running a hand under his hood. I was unprepared for the hood to fall from his head, revealing his full head of blonde hair. It was only a bit shorter than mine, and stood up at odd angles from his head. It was staticky from the fabric of his hood. He seemed completely unfazed by this. His hand ran through his hair, and then he froze, turning back to me. With his hood off, I could see his features much clearer.

"What if," his speaking brought me out of my stunned state. "What if we showed them who's boss?"

I furrowed my brow. "Um… What?"

His shoulders slumped. "We're the Kings-" he cut himself off. "Well, King and Queen, of the art in this town. And they _know_ that."

"Well obviously they don't," I corrected him.

He brought his hands together. "Then maybe we should remind them."

While his outburst did seem a little over-the-top, I _was_ pretty disappointed at the words written over my immature tag. Part of me liked the sound of revenge. "I've never been a person who fights fire with fire."

Twitch laughed. "There's a first time for everything."

"What do you have in mind?"

His eyes flashed mischievously. "They did this really shitty heavens piece on the back of the billboard advertising McDonalds off the highway." He paused, running a hand through his hair again. "Let's go… _improve_ it, a little."

Once again, my ignorance came to the surface. "...Heavens?"

"It's a piece that people do in really hard-to-get places. Like the roofs of buildings. Or," he gave me a sly look. "The back of a billboard."

I took a deep breath. "Then… Isn't that a little hypocritical? I mean, they're just starting up. They don't know any better."

"It's not hypocritical because they _are_ new. They need to learn not to fuck with the big dogs. And there's no way they haven't heard of us, everyone and their mother knows about us. I mean, we were on the _news._ They're just trying to piss us off."

I nodded. He had a point. "I don't know…"

"Come on," he urged. "Would your friend be okay with the fact that the portrait made in her honor was violated like this?"

I glanced up at the painting. She wouldn't be. "Okay," I agreed. "I'll go."

He stood up tall. "Sweet. The billboard isn't too far from here." He walked past me, continuing down the street we came from. Once again, I followed him.

As we walked further, the abandoned buildings began to turn into abandoned houses. Then, they turned into occupied houses. I was nervous at the sight of cars parked on driveways, and I was even more nervous at the sight of lights on inside the houses.

This time it was my turn to break the silence. "Don't you want to put your hood back up? What if someone sees you?"

"Oh, yeah." His fingers gripped the fabric of the hood, and he yanked it over his head. He laughed. "I'm so excited, I forgot about it." His steps slowed, and he extended an arm out in front of him. He pointed at a patch of light in the distance. "We're starting to get closer to the livlier part of town. It's gonna be hard to hide."

My heart dropped. I didn't like the sound of that. "How is it gonna be hard?"

He sighed. "There aren't any dark alleys to hide in or anything, and the McDonalds where the billboard's at it open twenty-four hours."

Up ahead, I could see the giant yellow "M" of the fast food restaurant. The windows were bright, but the parking lot around it was empty. On the flat roof, a giant metal pole stuck into the sky. I could just barely make out a tiny metal ladder snaking up the side of it. Right next to the parking lot was a giant concrete wall. On the other side was the highway.

"How are we gonna…?" I didn't even know what to ask. "Don't they have cameras?"

"You're damn right they do." As the houses ended, Twitch led me to the concrete wall separating us from the speeding cars. The sound of his voice was hard to hear over the rushing of cars behind us. Even in the early hours of the morning, the highway was full.

"There's cameras?" I asked, holding a hand against the smooth wall as I followed him closer to the glowing sign. "We're gonna get caught!"

He stopped, shushed me, and then continued along the wall. "They have blind spots. And their not hard to get around."

"What about the roof? I mean, I see the ladder going up to the billboard but how are we gonna get on the roof?" I was whispering now.

"There's another ladder around the back," he whispered back. "At least, I assume there is."

I sighed. "I wouldn't have agreed to this if I'd known it was going to be this risky."

"The newbie Red and Blue Crew was able to get up there. We're veterans. This is gonna be a walk in the park," he assured me.

"I'm not sure about that."

"Confidence is key, Ryu. You can't play it safe you're whole life."

I found myself unable to reply.

There weren't any lights on in the parking lot. The drive through exit was between the concrete and the building. "Let's follow the drive through," Twitch suggested. "The ladder is probably behind the menu back there."

I nodded. We reached the parking lot, and continued to the drive through. We stepped onto a little border that was filled with rocks and had a thick bush planted in the middle of it.

My heart nearly stopped when Twitch froze, grabbed my arm, and yanked me down into the bush in one movement. I yelped as my knees hit the rocks, and I practically fell into his lap.

"What the-" I began, before he put a hand over my mouth.

"Shh!" He whispered. "There's a car in the drive through!"

I lifted my head, ignoring the awkward position we were both in, and peeked through the push. A red truck was pulling in, it's headlights pointed directly at us. It stopped in front of the menu.

I could barely hear the staticky voice of the drive through attendant in the speaker. "Hi. Welcome to McDonalds can I take your order?"

"Hi," a high-pitched voice sounded from the truck. "Can I have a double cheeseburger with…"

I widened my eyes. "No fucking way," I whispered.

"What?" Twitch asked. His chest was smushed up against my back, and he whispered over my shoulder directly into my ear. I would have been uncomfortable with it, if I hadn't recognized Miku's voice from the truck.

The voice sounded through the speaker. "That'll be $7.02 at the second window please."

When my vision adjust to the brightness of the headlights, I confirmed my suspicion. My school's newspaper editor sat in the driver's seat of the red truck that had nearly ran me over only hours before. "Thank you!" She called sweetly.

I gritted my teeth as she pulled the car forward, turning out from behind the building and turning to the second window. From the bush, we now had the perfect view of the back of her car. Her headlights were pointing at the parking lot. If we had been just a little bit slower, we would be showered in light.

"Can I borrow a marker?" I asked Twitch.

"What? Why?"

"Just gimme a fucking marker," I demanded.

He gently pushed me off his lap, unzipping his jacket and pulling out a black marker. He handed it to me. It was almost too thick for me to wrap my hand around.

I uncapped the marker, the smell of paint hitting me instantly through my dust mask. Slowly, I inched myself out from behind the bush, and crawled to the back of the truck. With a huge smile on my face, I scribbled a couple words onto the paint of the truck.

 _Mind your own damn business._

 _~Ryu_

The second I finished the final "u" the truck began to pull away. I grinned like an idiot as she drove away, my message very clearly painted on the back.

"Ryu!" I heard Twitch call quietly from the bush. "Get back here!"

I listened to him, capping the marker and crawling back behind the bush.

"Did you just sign that car?" He asked as he slid the marker back into his jacket and zipped it up.

"I know that girl. She's a bitch."

"That was way too risky," he scolded.

I smiled. "I can't play it safe my whole life."

We held each other's gaze for a few moments, before we both snapped out of it, and crawled out from behind the bush. Just as Twitch predicted, the ladder to the roof was behind the menu.

We jogged across the drive through to the metal ladder. Twitch motioned for me to go first, and I did. The handles were slippery, and the metal was cold. It wasn't long before I pulled myself onto the roof with Twitch following soon after.

"One set done," Twitch said. "One more to go."

With our backs hunched over, we stalked over to the pole. Once again, Twitch motioned for me to go first.

I giggled as I passed him. "What a gentleman."

He chuckled as I began to climb. "I know, right?"

This ladder was even colder. And it was much, _much_ higher. I had never been particularly scared of heights, but I had also never been very fond of them. My bag was weighing heavily on my shoulder, and definitely not helping much. I had never traveled so far in one night, and I knew my shoulder was going to be sore in the morning.

"You alright up there?" Twitch called. He must have noticed my slowed climbing.

"Yeah," I answered. We didn't have to whisper anymore. We were way too high up in the sky. "My hands are just freezing."

"Hah. You have gloves on."

I had completely forgotten that he was doing this with bare hands. "Shit. I'm sorry."

He laughed again. "You're fine."

We were almost to the top. We could see over the wall now. The bright lights of the highway blinded me for a terrifying moment, but I continued to climb. I wondered if the people driving down there could see us climbing.

Finally, I reached the metal platform at the top of the ladder. The platform had a safety rail all the way around it, with the back of the billboard to my right. I crawled a couple feet further onto the platform so Twitch could climb up behind me.

He stood up, putting his hands into his pockets. "That climb took a lot longer than I thought it would."

I nodded, still sitting with my back leaning against the rail. "You can say that again." I looked up at the back of the billboard, and realized that Twitch was right. The Red and Blue Crew's drawing really did suck. It looked like a giant drunk squirrel, painted with different shades of red paint with blue foam coming out of it's mouth. It's eyes reminded me of googly eyes.

"What the fuck?" I asked, suddenly angry that _these_ were the people who tagged my masterpiece.

"I know, right? I almost feel sorry for them," Twitch said. He pulled out a red and blue marker, holding one in each hand. I have the perfect idea of how to cover it."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, massaging my hands.

"For now, you can sit there."

He didn't bother to explain, and I decided not to ask. Instead, he drew a little dot in the middle of the squirrel's face, and began to draw triangles around it like the petals of a leaf. They alternated in colors, and when the first layer around the dot was don't he began another one. Then another. And another. Each layer grew bigger, and overlapped the previous row of triangles.

I watched, intrigued. He'd seen me at my work back in the Spray Zone, and now I got to see him. I had always loved his abstract style, and watching him sketch onto the wall with his paint markers made it even better. The strong scent of paint filled the air.

He continued making the triangles until the entire ugly squirrel was covered, along with the _Red and Blue Crew_ tag.

Twitch stood tall when he finished the final triangle, and stepped back to look over it.

"Damn," I said.

"It looks alright," he commented.

"It looks more than alright." I stood up, taking off my duffle bag and dropping it on the platform next to the board. "How am I supposed to-"

"Do an outline over it," he suggested. "With the black. The triangles could be the backdrop, and the black can be the foreground."

I looked over the triangles, my mind racing with ideas. "I like it. But what do I draw?"

He shrugged. "I did my part. It's your turn." With that, he took my seat against the railing. He bounced his leg as he sat. I could feel his eyes on my back.

I pulled my open black can out of the bag, and stared at the wall. still unsure exactly what i was doing, I gave the canister a few shakes for good luck, and began to spray a border around the circle Twitch had made. From experience, I knew that borders looked nice against backdrops like this. When I was finished, and took a step back again, an idea beginning to form in my head.

I kneeled down to the bottom of the circle, and began to spray wavy lines horizontally through the circle. I connected them at the tip, forming the edges of black flames. The red and blue colors were still visible through them. I connected the lines at the tips, the tallest flame only reaching about halfway up through the circle. When I was done with the dark flames, I stood up, and began to write bubble letters above the flames.

 _Fight Fire With Fire_

I lowered the can, and turned to Twitch. "How about it?" I asked.

Even with his mask on, I could tell he was smiling. "It needs one more thing." He stood up, and pulled out a black marker. Underneath the phrase, he added, in his edgy handwriting:

 _Twitch_

He motioned to me. I grinned at him, adding mine right above his.

 _Ryu &_

 _Twitch_

"Did you really have to put yours on top?" He asked, amused.

I laughed. "Ryu and Twitch sounds better than Twitch and Ryu."

He nodded. "I guess."

We stared at the painting in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable silence this time. Unlike the moments previously that night, the silence was peaceful. We created something together, and we were admiring it together.

"We should do this more often," I suggested.

He laughed. "I like the idea of a rivalry turning into a partnership."

I smiled at the drawing one last time, before grabbing my duffle bag and slinging it over my shoulder. "Me too."

We walked back to the Spray Zone together silently. The rain had, for the most part, completely dried up. There was no dripping or splashing anymore. Only the quieting hum of the highway, and crickets chirping in the night. When we reached the abandoned gas station, I realized something.

"I told you about me," I said, clearly startling Twitch from his thoughts. He jumped at my words. "But you didn't tell me about you."

He shrugged. "What do you wanna know?"

I thought for a second. "You asked me why i was called Ryu. So… why are you called Twitch?"

He walked with his hands in his pockets. "It's a long story."

I lowered my voice mockingly. "It's a long walk."

He laughed at me. "I do _not_ sound like that."

"Come on," I laughed with him. "Tell me about you."

Twitch pushed his hood off his head, once again revealing his blonde hair. "I'm pretty tragic."

"So am I."

"True." He took a deep breath. "The entire story is pretty much… I don't know. In my freshman year of high school, I fell in with the wrong crowd. Like most people these days seem to do. And I ended up addicted to drugs."

I was taken aback. "Shit…"

"Yeah. It wasn't pretty."

"What…" I wasn't sure if I should ask. "what was it?"

"Blow," he answered. When he caught sight of my confused look, he clarified. "Cocaine. It fucked me up. That's why I can never stop moving now."

His story made mine seem like a pleasant childhood. "Are you still…?"

He took another deep breath. "Nah. I dropped out when I got hooked on it, got kicked out of my parents house, the whole deal. but I'm clean now."

"Where'd you stay?" I asked. We were nearing the Spray Zone.

"Here and there. No where specific. I did random jobs for random people to pay for my… passtime."

I let that sink in for a second. "How'd you get clean?"

To my surprise, he smiled. "I woke up on the streets one day and was just like, 'Fuck this', and I quit. Just like that. I got a steady job, and I slowly built my life back up."

"That's amazing." I felt a pang of jealousy hit me. He recovered from his past. Why couldn't I?

"Yeah. I work at a warehouse unloading and loading cargo, which is pretty nice considering I like to move. I can easily afford my apartment, and I see my parents sometimes." He chuckled. "I traded a very-illegal hobby for a less-illegal hobby."

I chuckled with him, looking down at the ground. "Do you…" I was unsure whether to ask or not. "Do you miss it?"

He thought about that question for a second. "It depends. I definitely don't miss the lifestyle, but the drugs…" He trailed off, leaving the thought hanging in the air. "Sometimes I do. I've been clean for almost a year now. I just try not to think about it."

"Oh, shit. Sorry for bringing it up, then."

He shook his head. "You're fine. I owed you a story anyway."

I paused again. "I don't mean to be rude, but how old are you?"

"Seventeen," he answered.

I stopped dead in my tracks. "No shit," I smiled. "What high school did you go to?"

He stopped a few paces ahead of me. "West Brook," he answered over his shoulder.

I laughed. "That's where I go now."

"Really? How old are _you_?"

"Sixteen. I'm a junior," I chatted. I continued walking.

"What a small world," he said.

"It is."

We finally entered the Spray Zone. It was comforting to finally have the cover of backstreets. The walk to the Spine was uneventful.

Finally, we stopped in front of my tiger, and his maze. Just where we started.

"What time is it?" I asked, stopping in front of the blotches of blue.

Twitch pushed up his sleeves, revealing a watch on his wrist. "Almost 4 a.m."

I widened my eyes in concern. "Oh shit. We've been out for _way_ longer than I thought."

He scratched his eyebrow. "Yeah. I got work tomorrow, too."

"And I have school," I added.

He nodded. "Well, maybe we should call it a night then."

The air was suddenly filled with a sort of tension I can't explain. I couldn't meet his eyes, and he couldn't meet mine.

I ran my fingertips up and down the strap of the duffle bag. "Maybe."

The uncomfortable silence returned, and neither of us moved. I knew both of us wanted to say something, but I didn't know what it was.

Twitch found his words before I did. "Something feels… unfinished," he said.

I nodded. "Yeah." I hesitantly looked up at him, and nervously met his eyes. Stray strands of hair hung over them, and a thought popped in my head.

"Maybe… Maybe it's the masks," I suggested sheepishly.

He brushed his hair out of his face. "Like- like we should take them off?"

"Yeah…" I trailed off.

He shook his head, uncertain. "I don't know if I want to."

"Me neither. But-but maybe it'll make _this_ less… um, awkward."

He looked down at the ground. "It probably would."

"You first," I said.

"No, you first," he argued.

I knew we weren't going to come to a consensus on that. "How about, we both turn around, and take them off at the same time, and turn back around. At the same time." I added the last sentence quickly.

He nodded quick, small nods. "Okay."

I hesitated for a second, before beginning to turn. He mirrored me, hesitating at first and the turning around. With my back to him, I rose my shaky hands to my mask, pulling it off, and sliding my hood around my neck. I heard shuffling behind me to confirm that Twitch was doing the same.

"You good?" I asked, trying to hide my nervousness. Why was this such a big deal? It was just like meeting another person. I met people all the time.

"Yeah." I took pleasure in the fact that he was just as timid as I. We were both scared, and I wondered if he knew why. Because I sure didn't.

"Do we, like, count down or something?" I asked.

He let out a laugh. "I don't know."

"Then just… turn around, I guess."

He took a deep breath. "Now?"

I also took a deep breath. "Now."

We both turned at the same time, and my first impression was that he looked _way_ different with his mask off. I could see now that his hair reached down to his chin, only an inch or two shorter than mine. The strands fell down against his slanting jawline, giving his face a sharp shape. His lips were slightly apart under the smooth ridge of his nose.

I felt a blush rise to my face as I realized I was staring. "H-Hi," I greeted.

For the first time the entire night, I saw him smile. "Hey." _It's okay,_ I assured myself. _He was staring, too._

"It worked," I offered, trying to keep the silence away. "It doesn't really feel like anything is missing anymore."

His gaze never left mine. "There's one more thing, I think."

I cocked my head to the side. "What's that?"

He held out a hand. "I'm Len."

I felt a strange sense of deja vu. "I'm Rin." I grabbed his hand, shaking it much more comfortably than I had earlier in the night.

We let go of each other, and Twitch-Len, I mean, returned his hands to his pockets. "Same time tomorrow?" He asked.

I smiled, shyly. "Sounds great."

He grinned, and put his dust mask into his pocket. "It's a date," he said, as he pulled his hood back up.

I didn't have my mask on to protect him from my blush. "O-Okay."

He took a few steps back towards the street. "Tomorrow."

I nodded. "Tomorrow."

With one last look, he turned around, and ran out of the alley, onto the sidewalk of the street, and out of my view.

I took a deep breath, my dust mask still in my hand, and turned my head to look over the wall one last time. At the beginning of the night, the maze and the tiger looked like two separate pieces. But now… now they looked like one. A work done by a team. A… how had Len put it? A _partnership._

The eyes of the tiger stared back at me, showing me once again it's courage and determination. If I had only learned one thing tonight, it was that there is always a way to get out of a shitty situation. Whether it be being disrespected on the streets, or being addicted to drugs, or being adopted. _I_ drew that tiger, _I_ drew those eyes, and I drew them to reflect mine. I had that courage and determination. I could get through this shitty life.

I turned my back on the paintings, making my way to the main alley of the Spine, towards home.

Why had I stopped calling Janice my Mom anyway?

 _Oh. My. God. It is 11 p.m. and I have school tomorrow and I have been writing this long ass story for what feels like three years and I feel like I'm going to cry. I have never been so invested in AU characters before and I love this so much. I've been playing this story over and over in my head so many times, and getting it down on paper made it 10x better._

 _Sorry, I'm getting a little emotional. Anyway, to address the elephant in the room, I haven't been active AT ALL because I've been so insanely busy with school, friends, work, and whatever-the-fuck else. This story was also VERY long (obviously), and required a TON of research, and I can now call myself a graffiti expert. One thing I am learning very quickly about writing AU's is that I am being filled with random knowledge that I will probably never need in my life. But hey, at least I learned something._

 _Happy Late Halloween by the way!_

 _Song of the Story is Monster Grow by Gumi. I've been really into rock/ light metal-ish music lately. It's an UtsuP song, if that makes any difference. I also can't find the english subs anywhere, so if you have any source, please message me ^_^_

 _Gumi's Monster Grow -_ _watch?v=SC94xzgRyGU_

 _P.S. The "red-haired" friend was supposed to be Teto. Hehe._


	6. Coffee Shop-Bean Mine

_Rated T for language and Starbucks_

One thing I learned quickly from working at Starbucks is I very rarely see a new face. Which may seem surprising, considering the amount of people I serve every day, but it's true. I recognize many of them. Not by name, of course, but by their faces. Their distinct features.

I started working here was I was only seventeen, and four years later I still believed in this. Now, I know what you're thinking, who the hell would want to work at Starbucks their entire young life? No, I don't live in my parent's basement and yes, I did graduate high school. The surprising thing is the job pays enough to keep my own apartment. And I'm happy in it, for now. Plus, working as a barista has it's perks. Once you get past the tired, grumpy middle-aged people who wake up at the crack of dawn every day, you can have some fun. Plus, free coffee.

First off, my coworkers are the best. They're all around my age, and they all try their best to keep the job from being too much of a… job. Thanks to them, I don't wake up every day dreading the next eight hours. I don't exactly look forward to it either, but still. It's nice.

One day, their shenanigans reached a new extreme.

On this snowy Monday morning, I knew it was gonna be a rough morning rush from the second I swiped my timecard. The sun wasn't even over the horizon yet, and we already had a line of cars waiting at the drive-through for us to open. It was 5:25; we had five more minutes of freedom.

Gumi was leaning over the counter as I walked in the front doors, shaking the stray snowflakes from my hair and stomping my boots on the ground. She perked up. "Lenny!" She called, clearly thankful for some company. "How's my boy?"

I rolled my eyes. "Freezing," I answered as I took off my coat and made my way behind the counter to time-in.

She took a deep breath. Her beige apron already hung loosely around her neck. "You're gonna warm up pretty quick with the horde of angry old people dawning on us." She looked over her shoulder at the window to the drive through.

With my timecard in, I pulled my apron off a hook just as the bell over the door chimed again. With a quick glance in that direction, I was surprised to see Kaito. "You're working today?"

He seemed to be in a particularly rotten mood. "Miku called me, on my _one day off,_ at _four in the fucking morning,_ saying that she was puking her brains out and needed someone to fill her shift," he muttered as he went through the same motions as Gumi and I. He threw his belongings in the back room on the ground, right next to our every growing pile of winter coats.

Gumi giggled. "Aw. How nice of you."

"Shut it, leaf-head," he retorted.

That made her giggle even more. "Leaf-head? That's new."

"I'm not in a very creative mood today." He crossed his arms. I made my way to the machines lined up along the walls, turning each one on as they bickered.

"I know," Gumi went on, leaning against the cash register. "But leaf-head? You can do better than that. I mean, your hair's blue. That's not much crazier than green."

"Shut. It." He repeated. Thankfully, he realized what I was doing, and made his way to the counter to begin brewing.

"Oh, poor Kaito," Gumi continued in a teasing voice. "So mad because his little crush is sick."

"Oh don't even start-"

"Guys," I interrupted, silencing the both of them. "I swear to God, _neither_ of you are going to make it through this day alive if I have to listen to your incessant bitching."

"Look at Lenny using his big words," Gumi laughed. I guess she was just in the mood to piss us off today. The bell rang again, and a couple more baristas entered. A honk from the drive through brought us back to the task at hand.

"Gee, thanks Gumi," I said, loud enough for the people who just came in to hear. "I really appreciate you volunteering to work the drive through this morning."

Her expression turned sour, and Kaito snickered over the sound of brewing coffee. She pushed herself off the counter and slowly made her way to the window. As soon as she pushed it open, we launched into the morning rush.

It was always the worst part of the day, and it was nice to get it over with. As expected, the freak snowstorm from the night before made the morning rush draw out much longer than usual, due to everyone driving half as fast on the roads. I found it amusing how people were two hours late to work, and still stopped just for their morning coffee. Caffeine really seems like the most addictive drug.

In a few hours, the rush finally died down, and Kaito, Gumi, and I all found ourselves working behind the counter. Gumi was working the cash register when I came over to her, washing my hands off. "Neru spilled someone's drink _everywhere_ ," I complained. "Escaped the window, huh?" I asked as she punched in orders from the line in front of us. The people had risen with the sun, and now the shop was filled with the hum of happy customers.

"And you said 2% milk?" Gumi asked the lady at the front of the line.

The woman nodded, giving me a quick glance that I pretended to not notice. She looked only a little older than I was, with long brown hair that fell in curls over her knitted scarf. Dressed for the weather. I'd seen her before, I knew it, but I couldn't quite remember her.

"Give me a grande," Gumi said to me as she finished punching it in.

I did as she told, discarding the rag below the counter a pulling one of the second-largest cups out of the dispenser. A black sharpie sat on the counter, and I scooped it up, giving the girl a confident smile. "What's your name?"

I was amused by the blush that rose to her cheeks. "Courtney," she answered. Valley Girl. Of course.

I scribbled the name down on the cup, hoping it was spelled with a C, and smoothly set the sharpie back down on the counter. "Coming right up."

She smiled again, and walked down to the other end of the counter.

"Look at Len the Womanizer over here," Gumi said as the next person made their way up. " _Coming right up,"_ she lowered her voice in a poor attempt to match mine. "You can do better than that."

"Oh yeah? You have any better ideas?"

Gumi turned to the next customer. "How about, for now, you go make her drink?" She gave me a recipt of her order, and I got to work.

The later into the day, the less rush we were in. I finally got to sit down a little after three in the afternoon, when Gumi, Kaito, and I took our break together. We all found an empty table, and sat down with our aprons still on.

"Today has been surprisingly okay," Gumi chirped, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"Speak for yourself. I can barely keep my eyes open," Kaito grumbled. He was drinking a coffee.

Gumi laughed. "I've been pretty entertained watching Len try to pick up chicks all day."

I shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a lady killer." It was another perk of being a barista. Flirting 24/7.

Gumi shook her head, her eyes glued to the screen of her iPhone. "You're so cocky."

"Girls like cocky."

"No, girls like _confidence."_

I laughed. "And they can't tell the difference."

Gumi smiled, but continued to shake her head. "There's no hope for you."

"Well I know you're such an _expert_ on picking up women," I said sarcastically. "So you should give me some well-needed tips."

Kaito laughed, looking over at Gumi. "Let's have some fun with this," he suggested.

A wolfish grin appeared on Gumi's face, and she finally looked up from her phone. "Okay," she said, looking down at the table. I could see the gears turning in her head. "What's the creepiest way to hit on someone?" She asked Kaito.

He thought for a second, and I took a deep breath. This couldn't be good. "Cheesy pickup lines?"

Gumi shook her head. "Too easy." She rubbed the bottom of her chin, an action she always did when in deep thought, and then a lightbulb appeared above her. "Puns. Puns are the bane of my existence."

Kaito perked up. "Write puns on their cups!" Gumi nearly squealed with delight at the idea, and the two high fived enthusiastically. The _smack_ echoed through the shop.

I rubbed my temple. "Oh, come on man. That sucks."

Kaito shrugged, still laughing along with Gumi. "You're the expert. Figure it out."

"But I _suck_ at coming up with puns," I complained, grinning.

"You can do it," Gumi encouraged. "Like… Warning: this coffee is hot, but you're hotter."

Kaito chimed in. "I feel something brewing between us."

"Extra sugar? Baby, you're sweet enough."

"I like you a latte."

I held my hands out. "Guys, please. Stop."

"See?" Gumi stood. "There's a few to start you off with. Now come on. Let's get to it."

I sighed before standing with her and Kaito, and making my way back behind the counter. With the apron back on, it was back to work. Though, there wasn't much work to go around. Nobody was in line. People littered the tables, but they already had their drinks.

"Remember, lover boy," Gumi said from behind me. "Next girl to walk in, _I like you a latte_." She snickered.

"Oh God," I chuckled. "What have I gotten myself into?"

The bored baristas all gathered behind the counter, and we chatted for a couple relaxing minutes. I made sure to face the door during our conversation, so I could at least see the poor girl for a few seconds before I completely made a fool of myself in front of her. But there was a surprisingly long gap in customers. And when I finally relaxed a bit, I saw a figure outside the store through the glass walls, and my heart dropped.

The girl that pushed open the door was someone I had never seen before. I was certain she'd never stepped a foot in this store; because I'd remember her. She was short, 5'5 at the most, with a small build and a contrasting confidence in her movements. She was fiddling with a large white bow as she walked up to the counter. I could see the messy spot in her blonde hair where she pulled it out. Even from this distance, I could tell she was a ten. But her looks didn't make her stand out. What really caught my eye was that she was dressed as if it were ninety degrees outside. Shorts and a tank top. Like she was completely immune to the cold.

Gumi caught sight of her, then caught me staring. "Ooooooh," she whispered under the talk around us. "She's cute."

I took a deep breath. _Very_ cute.

Leaf Head knew I wasn't going to reply. "You take the order, I'll make the drink." She was leaning on the counter, and she pushed herself up. "Go get her, tiger."

It was my turn to shake my head. However, I did as she told, and walked to the cash register with no idea what to write in this cup. Gumi followed closeby, stopping in front of the cup dispenser as the girl walked to the register.

She stopped in front of the counter, and looked up at me with wide blue eyes. "Hi," she greeted sweetly, still holding the bow.

 _You've hit on girls before,_ I told myself. _This is no different._ I put on my smooth voice. "Hey. What can I get you?"

Her eyes skimmed the menu behind me. As I waited, I rested my hands on the monitor. My hands were sweaty. "Can I have a tall vanilla bean frap with nonfat milk please?"

"Of course," I answered tapping it in. Next to me, Gumi pulled the cup out of the dispenser, and handed it to me. I didn't look at her; the smug expression would have been too much. I picked up the sharpie off the counter, and braced myself. "And your name?"

"Rin," she answered, her eyes on the holiday-themed cup. "R-I-N."

I scribbled it onto the cup. "Alright. I'll get that for you."

She gave me a sweet smile. "Thank you." And down the counter she went.

The second I turned my back, Gumi's excited expression appeared. "Well now, what is this? Len? _Nervous around a girl?_ Is the world ending?"

"Shut up, leaf head."

She put her hands on her hips. "Oh, _really."_

I looked down at the cup with a furrowed brow. "What do I write?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. But come up with something quickly, before she notices."

My mind raced. And then it came to me. "Ha," I chuckled, scribbling on the cup.

"What?" Gumi tried to see what i was writing. "What is it?"

"Bean Mine."

She stared at me.

"Get it? Like Be Mine?"

She snatched the cup out of my hands. "I really wanna punch you in the face right now."

She prepared the drink, with the help of another barista. I glanced over at Rin, who was watching them make it, and I realized that she wouldn't even know it was me who wrote it. It could have been anyone who handled her cup. And making a frap was a team effort.

The drink ended up in the hands of Kaito, who set it down in front of her with a smile. I put the message on the opposite side of the cup from her name, so she didn't see it at first. Neither did Kaito, for that matter. I watched as she smiled back at him, and took her drink over to a table against the glass wall. A surprisingly large part of me was sad she wouldn't know it was me, though I wasn't sure why.

Once again, the baristas formed a little circle of gossip and chatter. I took my place in it, but this time I stood in the direction facing Rin across the shop. I glanced over at her as often as I could without Gumi noticing, which she didn't, as the blonde slowly drank her frap. I didn't think she saw the message yet.

About halfway through her drink, she raised her bow up, looking over it. She seemed happy with it, as she opened the clip and fastened it on the top of her head. She checked her reflection in her phone camera. After that, she drank a lot faster. The only thing distracting her now was the snow on the other side of the window. I still didn't get it. A tank top and shorts? Did Elsa just order a frap from me?

Eternities later, she finally lifted her empty cup off the table, trying to pool the last drops together at the bottom for one more gulp. As she spun the cup around, she froze when she saw the message, and I felt my heart drop as a small giggle echoed through the store. No one else heard it over the chatter; and I only heard the faintest hint of it, but I know I heard it.

I looked away just in time. If she looked over at us and caught me staring at her, she'd know it was me. Gumi was right. I _was_ nervous. The world _was_ ending.

From the corner of my eye, I saw her looking at us. I tried my best to pay attention to the conversation, but I was way too busy trying to look casual. By now, I was surprised Gumi hadn't noticed my twitchy movements.

After staring for a few minutes, Rin got up from her table and walked out of the door. I was sad to see her go, but I thought it significant that she didn't throw the cup away. Gumi's joke was old after I only signed one cup, and she didn't bother me the rest of the day about it. Or the next day, when I saw Rin again.

On the rare occasion that I do see a new face, I usually never see them again. Sounds weird, I know, but you're either a Starbucks regular, or you try it once and never come back. Or maybe you're a tourist, or you decide to cut out coffee for the rest of your life. Whatever it is, it's usually the way things go. Usually.

When I arrived at work the next day, I was greeted by the extravagant Christmas decorations in every square inch of the shop. I knew Gumi stayed late; she loved Christmas. It looked like St. Nick drank an eggnog latte and then threw up all over the place. But in a good way.

She arrived around the same time, and we had nearly the same experience. She came in between rushes, again horribly underdressed for the weather, when we were distracted behind the counter. Thankfully, I was the first one to see her, so I jumped to the register without thinking.

"What would you like?" I asked her. The bow was in her hair again.

This time, she didn't look over the menu. "Can I have a peppermint mocha please?"

"Sure," I answered, my hand hovering over the cup dispenser. "What size?"

"Tall. And with nonfat milk." She added a quick "Please." Sweetie.

"And your name?" I didn't need to ask, but I did anyway.

"Rin." I knew that. I scribbled her name down, and, before I could stop myself, I tried to make small talk.

"Cold?" Was all I could think of.

She looked down at her outfit, and smiled. "I just moved here from California. I don't have anything else yet." She shrugged. "A hot coffee keeps me warm from here to the car."

I grinned. "Sure does."

With one last smile, she walked down the counter. An idea popped in my head. She was distracted by the huge Christmas tree at the end of the counter, and the other's were walking over to help prepare her drink. The first thing that popped into my head was a Napoleon Dynamite quote. _I see you're drinking one percent. Is it because you think you're fat? 'Cause you're not. You could be drinking whole, if you wanted to._

I chuckled. I couldn't fit that on the cup even if I wanted to.

Kaito appeared next to me. "What is it?" He was asking about the drink. He held his hand out to take the cup.

"H-Hold on," I said. "She has a long name." Hah. As if. Quickly, I scribbled the second thing that popped in my head.

 _I like the way you espresso' self._

It took everything in my power to not burst into laughter right in front of Kaito. That was the most uncomfortable sentence I had ever written, but there was no going back now. I hoped she knew these were supposed to be terrible. I handed the cup to Kaito - "Peppermint mocha with nonfat" -who handed it off to the next person, and the next, and lastly to Gumi. I noticed Rin watching them hand it off, and realized she was waiting for someone to write on it. The pro: she hadn't seen me. The con: she'd see me next time. I'd have to be sneaky.

The circle formed once Gumi handed her the drink, and I took my place in it. Rin didn't look at her cup until she sat down, but the moment her butt hit the chair, I heard the small giggle again. And it warmed my heart more than any peppermint mocha could.

It became a routine. She came in every day, tried to catch someone scribbling terrible coffee puns on her drinks, and never succeeded. I had to get creative pretty quick, because there's only so many puns one can make about coffee. As soon as I'd scribble down whatever terrible sentence popped into my head, I'd start thinking about the pun for tomorrow. After the third or fourth day, Rin didn't have to tell me her name anymore, and we both knew it. She never asked for mine, though it was on my apron, so I assumed she knew it. She could read our menu; she could read a nametag.

Not only did she never find out, but Gumi also never found out, which I was astonished by. She didn't pay enough attention to see me jump up every day to serve the same customer, or scribble on her cup when no one was looking. I doubt she even recognized Rin like I did. I wondered if she recognized _anyone_ like I did.

This went on for a surprisingly long time. A couple months, probably. There wasn't another major snowfall like that one, but as December turned January, then to February, the temperatures continued to average in the high twenties, low thirties. I was glad when she finally came in wearing a coat. It took her a while, but she realized it wasn't getting any warmer anytime soon.

It was only a few days before Valentine's Day. It was the last day that week i had to work, I always got the ridiculous holidays off, and I was almost looking forward to it. Almost. I wouldn't get to see her on Valentine's Day. I'm not a stalker, I swear.

The store was especially packed with lovey-dovey couples today. The Christmas decorations were replaced with hearts and stringed heart-shaped light bulbs. Now it looked like Cupid drank a dirty Valentine frap and threw up everywhere. Gumi had great decorating skills.

There were no empty tables for her to sit down at. That was the first thing I realized when she came in that day. As if on cue, I pushed myself off the counter, and took my place at the cash register.

"Hey," she greeted. Even she was dressed for the holiday. Pink and white everything. Even her bow was pink.

"Hey," I said back. We'd become a bit more friendly over the months, but not friendly enough to be… well, friends. "What'll it be today?"

"Chocolate covered raspberry frap, please." Months and she's never missed out on a _please._

I grabbed a tall cup, setting it down on the counter. "Coming right up."

Down the counter. She was watching me. Shit. Another customer came up to the register, taking me off guard. He seemed to be a little older than me, and was here with a girl. "Can I get an iced coffee with milk?" He asked. "Tall."

"Sure," I said, tapping it in. Then, an idea came to me. Rin was going to follow her cup. Or, at least, the one she _thought_ was her cup. From the corner of my eye, I saw her still watching me. "Name?" I asked the man, holding the newly dispensed cup.

"Gage," he answered. I wrote _Rin._ On the cup, and handed it to the barista behind me. I then picked the other cup off the counter, wrote _Gage,_ and handed that one off as well.

It worked. I caught her following the second cup around the store. In the confusion of the baristas, I grabbed Rin's cup once again, quickly scribbled my newest masterpiece, and watched as it continued down the line.

I almost felt bad for tricking her. When the iced coffee was set on the counter, she was positive it was hers. And the confusion that overcame her made me feel a little guilty. But she was handed her drink, and we resumed our conversation.

She had nowhere to sit, so she simply walked a few steps out of the way, and drank from it. I dared not look at her directly. I was scared she'd see me.

Finally, she looked at the message, and smiled. Her head turned toward us, and I froze as she walked back up to the counter.

"Excuse me," she asked us. My gaze snapped onto her. _Oh shit._ The rest of the group looked over at her.

 _Please complain about the drink,_ I begged silently. _Please, please, please complain about the drink._

She held up the cup. "Um, who wrote this?" She wore an embarrassed smile, and a slight blush.

 _Shit._

Gumi furrowed her brow, and gently grabbed the cup from Rin's hand. Of course it had to be Gumi. She read it, and, in front of Rin, and all my coworkers, did a full 180 in the blink of an eye to face me. "This," she said, a satisfied grin on her face. "Was _three months ago."_ My heart dropped. My secret was out.

Rin's eyes fell on me. "It was _you?_ " She asked.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I just shrugged. I could feel the corners of my mouth twisting up into a smile.

Rin pointed at me with one hand, and took her empty cup back with the other hand. "I _knew_ it."

I laughed. "You didn't know. I was way too sneaky about it."

She paused. "It's Len?"

I nodded. "That's me."

Her gaze lingered on me for a few more seconds, before she grabbed the sharpie off the counter, wrote something on the cup, and set it down. She wore an accomplished expression as she wordlessly left the cup, turned her back on us, and left the store.

Before Gumi could snatch it up, I yanked the cup off the ground.

"What'd she write on it?" Gumi asked as the everyone else got back to work.

My smirk turned into a full out smile as I turned the cup over in my hand. "Her number." I looked down at her. "I told you I could pick up chicks."

"Asshole, this was _my_ idea," she pointed out.

I shrugged again. "Whatever, leaf head."

 _I always finish these during the early hours of the morning because I get an idea at, like, 8:30 and then write nonstop for five hours. Literally that's how every story on here has been written so far and I have a love/hate relationship with it._

 _For real, though. Bean Mine. I came up with that. I am so proud. Love you latte._

 _Also, I know I say this all the time, but thank you guys so much for your reviews and love. It means so much to me, and really inspires me to keep writing. Really. It means to much. 3_

 _Song of the Day - Endroll ft. Len Kagamine_

 _Link -_ _watch?v=znmuoRZp3Ms_

 _The artist of this song, SnownoiseP, is so unknown and really deserves much more attention for their songs. All/Most of them feature Len, which is amazing, because I can't find anyone else who makes this kind of music with him, and to this extent. They have a YouTube channel, which you can find in the description of the video._

 _P.S. I hate coffee._


	7. Holidays-Thanks for the Little Things

_Rated T for Language_

"What do you mean, you're not coming?"

Mom sighed into the phone. "Rin, they're saying two feet of snow is gonna drop tonight. We can't drive all the way across town."

"But… it's Thanksgiving."

I heard shuffling. "Maybe we can celebrate when the weather clears out."

An empty feeling was forming in the pit of my stomach. "Are you going to Josie's?" My aunt's house wasn't as far away as mine.

"We might be able to make it over there with the family."

"I could drive there instead," I suggested hopelessly. "I don't mind."

"Honey, I don't want you out in this weather either."

I was at a loss for words. "Mom… I already bought a turkey."

"Can you freeze it? We'll cook it next week. Together."

I knew she was lying. "I guess I can."

She sounded relieved. "Good. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Get some sleep."

I wiped at my eyes with my free hand. "I'll try."

And with that, I hung up, setting my cell phone on the couch next to me. My empty apartment felt lonelier than ever. I glanced into the kitchen, checking the time on the stove. It wasn't too late to see if maybe Miku wanted to hang out for the holidays. Or anybody.

I picked up the phone again, and dialed her number. She answered after only a few rings.

"Hey, M," I greeted, trying to keep the despair out of my voice.

"Oh, hey, Rin." She sounded awkward. Just like everybody else.

"Uh, what're you doing tomorrow? For Thanksgiving? You wanna come hang out?"

She let out a deep breath. "Damn, dude. I wish you'd asked me earlier. Kaito and I are up at his family's place up in the mountains."

My heart dropped. I chuckled fakely. "Trying to beat the snow?"

"You know it."

I tried to ignore the impatience in her voice. "I can understand that. Well, I'll let you go then."

"Thanks, man." Her tone changed suddenly. "Uh, how're you feeling? You doing okay?"

I nodded, though I knew she couldn't see me. "Yeah. Today was fine. Perfectly normal."

"That's good. Happy Thanksgiving, Rin."

"Yeah." I replied as the call quickly ended. "You too." But the only thing to hear me were the walls of the apartment.

I threw the phone down on the couch in defeat. I couldn't blame them, and I knew that. I could understand that they didn't want to be around me after the news; they couldn't just pretend everything was alright. I knew they felt bad, and I knew they didn't know how to handle it. They probably thought they had to do _something._ But I just wished for everything to be the same. I almost wished I hadn't gone to the doctor. I almost wished I didn't know anything.

But my own mother? At least Miku asked me how I was feeling. She just lied to me. Strange that _this year_ just happens to be the year that my mother formed a phobia of driving forty-five minutes in the snow.

I had felt the tears forming in my eyes before I even hung up with Mom, but only then did I let them fall. I'd never spent a holiday alone. If they couldn't handle my diagnosis, how did they think _I_ felt? The worst thing they could do was distance themselves from me; I already felt so alone. My family was all I had left. And my parents couldn't even come visit their only child on Thanksgiving. Their sick only child, to make it even worse.

I pulled my blanket up to my chin, wiping my eyes with it. I guess I could just spend the day watching the South Park marathon on cable. Or maybe I could just skip Thanksgiving altogether, and put up my Christmas decorations. Hopefully, by then, my friends and family would get over their pity, and come see me. I could only hope.

I paused my sniffling as I heard someone walking up the stairs outside. My apartment was all the way at the top of my building, and the hallways between houses were made with cement walls and flooring. Every time someone walked up the stairs, I could always hear them. Their footsteps would only stop when I'd hear the jingling of keys, and opening and closing of their front door. It was so loud; you could drop a cotton ball off the staircase and be able to hear it in the next state.

This time, I heard a voice talking. I recognized it as the voice of my neighbor. "No, there weren't any at King Soopers, either," he was complaining. "No, I checked all the stores in the county. I'm already home- I don't wanna drive another hour to Silverthorne." A pause. He was talking on the phone. "I was busy! I completely forgot about tomorrow until Lenka texted me this morning about it." Another pause. I stared at my front door from the safety of my couch as I heard his steps echo past my apartment. "No, I'll cook. I have everything except the turkey."

My head perked up. My mind went straight to the uncooked turkey in my fridge. Without thinking, I stood up, and walked to my door.

"I'll just do the usual stuff," he continued. "The pies, the potatoes, everything. I have an uncooked chicken, if I need to use that instead."

 _No, no, no,_ I thought. _Turkey's a tradition._ I set a hand on the handle, but something stopped me. I couldn't bring myself to open the door.

I heard keys jingling outside. "I didn't need to buy that stuff. I already had it." He was unlocking his door. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like to cook. Tease me all you want."

I pressed my forehead against the door. More tears fell from my eyes as I squeezed them shut. After all the rejection in just the past few minutes, I couldn't have it happen again. I didn't want to be that weird neighbor who just happened to have an extra turkey. Not that I'd be needing it, but still.

I heard his door open, and his voice disappeared inside. The door slammed loudly as it shut on it's own; he always let it shut on it's own. Never guided it to the door frame quietly, like I did. It probably drove the neighbors crazy, but not me. I didn't mind so much.

I'd never known Len much, but I at least knew his name. I assumed he knew mine. I'd only spoken to him on a couple of occasions where our mail got mixed up, and we had to exchange bills. He was pretty nice. He always seemed a bit quiet, though. He was more of a listener than a talker, which may have been one of the reasons I liked him so much. Until only recently, I'd loved talking.

I also knew him well enough to know that he _loved_ cooking. The entire building knew that, actually. Nearly every day, the floor would fill with the heavy scent of whatever was on his stove. Sometimes it would be sweet smelling, like a cake or cookies, and sometimes it would be meaty, like chicken or cheeseburgers. It was different every day, and I highly doubt he made the same thing twice. Nobody knows where the food all goes; he's a pretty skinny guy, there's no way he could have eaten it all. There had been a couple times when I was close to knocking on his door to ask for some. The classiest meal I'd had in weeks was a bowl of Lucky Charms with milk a day past it's expiration date. I had neither the money, nor the skills to cook.

I sat back down on the couch. I sniffled a few last times, but the crying had stopped. I didn't turn on any shows, I just waited. The smell had to be coming. He was definitely cooking tonight.

I was right. It wasn't too long after he disappeared into his apartment when the smell of pumpkin reached my living room. I breathed it in, my stomach rumbling at the scent. I didn't even know how to cook a turkey. What was I going to do with it?

The pumpkin was soon replaced with marshmallows. Mmmmm. Sweet potatoes. Mom made the best sweet potatoes.

I could only imagine what his Thanksgiving feast would look like. An entire table filled with the delicious smells and sights. Fluffy mashed potatoes, green beans still steaming from the oven, the light brown tint to the marshmallows on the sweet potatoes, the sweet aroma of fresh apple pie…

The only thing it'd be missing is a turkey.

That final thought was enough for me to rise from my seat once again, and walk out of my front door into the hall. On my way out, I took a glance in my bathroom mirror, making sure I didn't look too terrible from my crying. My face still looked a little red, but even I could barely notice it, so I called it good and walked into the chilly hall. I rubbed my bare arms, suddenly wishing I'd brought my blanket with me.

With no hesitation this time, I closed the distance from my door to his, and knocked. The scents were even stronger here, and they warmed me up better than my blanket could. I heard some shuffling on the other end of the door. I realized with a flash of embarrassment that it was pretty odd to knock on his door at eight o'clock at night, but it was too late. He opened the door just as the thought popped in my head.

He didn't even try to hide his confused expression. "Hey," he said. His hair was pulled back in its normal ponytail, and his was wearing a white apron with the letters "Kiss the Cook" written across it in cursive. He either forgot about it, or didn't care.

"Hey…" I answered awkwardly, feeling suddenly self-conscious of my pajamas and undone hair. "I, uh, I couldn't help but hear that you needed a turkey?"

His head perked up. "Yeah. I went _everywhere_ but all the stores are sold out." Over his shoulder, I could see only the corner of the counter in his kitchen. It was covered in plates and bowls.

"Well…" I tried to think up an excuse for why I had no use for mine. I couldn't admit that nobody was coming. "I have an extra, if you need it."

"Wow, really?" His confusion only intensified. "You don't have to-"

"No, no. I want to. I don't need it."

He didn't know what to say. "I can pay you for it."

I smiled, my cheeks reddening. "You don't need to pay me." I pointed my thumb back at across the hall. "I'll go grab it and bring it to you, okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. That'd be awesome."

"Okay." I nodded at him one last time, and turned my back on the door. I heard him close his door as I opened mine. My kitchen was bare, and my fridge was empty. Compared to his food-stocked house, it only made me feel worse. The lone turkey sat on my bottom shelf, still wrapped. It chilled my bare hands as I grabbed it. At least it would get cooked now.

I brought it back across the hall, and knocked on Len's door with my elbow. He opened it almost instantly. "Oh wow," his expression lit up. "That thing is huge."

I chuckled. "Yeah. It's pretty heavy, too."

"Oh," he held his arms out. "Here, I'll take it." I handed it to him. I thought he was going to send me off then, but he surprised me by leaning against the open door. "Do you want to come in for a bit? I could use some help."

I was taken completely off guard by the invitation. "Y-Yeah, sure."

He grinned. "Come on in."

I stepped through the doorway, taking a deep breath in. "Wow," I said aloud.

The door shut behind me. "Yeah," he answered, his voice strained under the weight of the turkey. "Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday."

I followed him through the doorway. His apartment was identical to mine, just mirrored across the hall. The kitchen was on the left over here, while my kitchen was to the right. He set the turkey on the only empty spot on his overcrowded kitchen counters. It was right on his oven, and it was obvious he had cleared that spot in the past fifteen seconds.

My eyes scanned his apartment. Believe it or not, it was spotless. Even the counter was clean. Crowded, yes, but in the few open spots on the marble countertops, I could see my reflection. His carpet was whiter than the snow falling outside, and there wasn't a stray dish in sight. His living room was just across from the kitchen, and the carpet looked newly vacuumed. A door stood next to his couch, and I knew, since it was identical to my own home, that the door led to his bedroom.

"You're a lifesaver," he said, bringing me back from my thoughts. "Really. I almost had to cook chicken instead."

I was thankful his back was to me. He couldn't see my blush. "I didn't want it to go to waste," I offered, shyly. I looked over the counters. "You don't look like you need much help," I pointed out.

He chuckled, and opened up some cabinets below the counter. "I've had some practice." He pulled out a giant stainless steel pot; it was just taller than my knees. With it, he pulled out what looked like a single stove top. He flashed me a sly smile. "Shhh. Don't tell anybody I have this."

I cocked my head to the side. "What is it?"

He picked up the stove top, leaving the pot on the ground. He set it down at the end of the kitchen, so it was out of the way, and picked up a small bottle of propane from another drawer. "We're gonna use it as a deep-fryer."

I raised my eyebrows. "You deep fry your turkey?" I completely ignored his use of the word "we."

He shrugged as he screwed the cap of the propane bottle on the stove. "I wanted to try it this year. What time is it?"

I looked over the turkey on his stove. "8:43," I read.

"Sweet," he muttered. "We _do_ have time." He began unscrewing the propane.

"For what?"

"To brine the turkey. I didn't think it was a good idea, but it can brine over night."

I smiled slightly. "I'll just pretend I know what you're talking about."

He nodded, and set the propane bottle on the counter. "That's probably a good idea." He pointed to some cabinets right next to me. "Can you get me one of the big pots in there?"

I crouched down next to the cabinets and pulled them open. I was met with a sea of pots identical to the first one he pulled out, but a fraction of the size. "Which one?"

"The biggest one you see," he clarified.

I unstacked a couple of piles, and pulled out the largest one I could find. "Is this one okay?"

He was rummaging through some other cabinets when he looked over his shoulder at my findings. "Yeah, that's perfect. Just set it on the stove next to the turkey."

I did as he instructed.

"So," he began. "What're your plans for tomorrow?"

I sighed, looking down at my reflection in the empty pot. Truth, or lie? "I'll probably just hang out in my apartment. What the Harry Potter movie marathon on ABC Family or something." I chose truth.

He set down a glass measuring cup in front of me. "We need six quarts of water in here," he informed me as he tapped the metal pot. When I brought the bowl over to the sink, he continued our conversation. "When's your dinner?"

I poured one quart into the pot. "I don't think I'm having one."

I heard shuffling behind me. He was mixing something. "Why not?"

I knew he was just trying to make conversation, but I couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed at my ignored attempts of getting around the subject. "My Mom says there's gonna be too much snow for them to drive down here." It wasn't exactly a lie.

"Ah. They live far out?"

Two quarts. "Maybe an hour drive away, depending on traffic."

"That's not too bad." He cracked an egg.

"Yeah. They were supposed to come down here, but they'll probably just go to my aunt's house and spend the day with them."

"Why don't you go down with them?" He suggested.

Three quarts. "Honestly, I don't think they want me there," I admitted with a sigh.

"Oh," his tone darkened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"Oh, no, you're fine." I felt I owed him some explanation. "I've been having medical issues, and they don't really know how to handle it."

He cracked another egg, and continued mixing. "But that doesn't mean you should have to spend your Thanksgiving alone." I expected his tone to be more sympathetic, but it wasn't.

I nodded, though I knew his back was to me. _My thoughts exactly._ "They need time. I can understand that." Four quarts.

He didn't say anything. An awkward tension filled the air as I dumped the fifth quart into the pot.

"What about you?" I asked, trying to clear the air. "What're your plans?"

He seemed thankful for the distraction. "The whole family's coming over here."

I smiled. "You can fit a whole family into this tiny apartment?"

There was amusement in his voice. "We manage. Somehow."

"The people who live below you must hate it." I picked up the full pot, and turned around.

He shrugged. "I'm sure they'll be out. And it's not my fault they chose the apartment below me."

I set the pot down on the stove. "It's filled."  
He looked over his shoulder. "Just get it boiling."

The buttons on his stove might as well have been written in another language. I furrowed my brow as I scanned the high tech equipment, wondering how a simple oven could seem so futuristic. One of the dials looked kind of promising, so I turned it to the right, and took pleasure in myself as the "Hot Surface" button lit up. Finding nothing else to do, I crossed the kitchen and found myself at Len's side.

"What's that?" I asked, motioning toward the bowl he was mixing. It was full of orange paste, the empty can next to the bowl told me it was pumpkin, and had white specks in it. In all honesty, it didn't look too appealing.

"Two-ingredient pumpkin bread," he declared as he continued stirring. "It's just spice cake mix and canned-pumpkin. But we're gonna frost it."

I nodded, watching the white flecks slowly disappear. "Have you made it before?"

"Yeah. It's delicious." He chuckled. "But then again, _everything_ I make is delicious"

I grinned as he continued to mix until the batter was completely orange.

"Tell me about your family," I suggested after a moment of silence.

He chuckled. "They're crazy."

"How so?" I was curious.

He thought for a moment. Those deep blue eyes of his were glued to the bowl in front of him. "Well, whenever we have a family gathering of any sort, there's just kids _everywhere._ My sister has three kids, my brother has _four_ kids. And then one of my cousins has two, and the other has _five. Five children."_ He shook his head. "Can you even imagine having to watch over _five kids?"_

I laughed softly. "How old are they?"  
"The oldest out of all…" He counted on his fingers. "-fourteen of them is ten. And she's the biggest brat of them all." His tone said he was joking, but his expression disagreed.

"Oh God," I muttered, amused.

"Yeah. I'm the last of my generation to not have kids. But, as my mom puts, it-" He paused his stirring, and flashed me an amused glance. "'No pressure or anything.''

I laughed. "Wow. That's…"

"Shitty? Yeah, it is," he finished. "Hey, there's a bread pan on the counter somewhere. Can you find it for me?"

"Yeah." I followed the edge of the counter, my eyes scanning over the ocean of cooking supplies and ingredients. I finally found it sitting dangerously close to the edge, right next to the fridge.  
When the water was finally boiling, we poured it into the giant pot. Len mixed six pounds of salt, which I found preposterous. Who keeps six pounds of salt in their pantry? He dumped ice, and cold water in as well, and finally lowered the turkey. He told me we'd have to let it sit overnight, so we set it aside.  
We baked pies, cookies, breads, rolls, everything. We even made soup with the chicken he was originally going to cook for the main dish. I've never been much of a soup person, but this stuff was probably the best thing to ever meet my taste buds.  
It was late when Len finally switched the last two dishes out of the oven. The empty bowls and ingredients along the counter had been replaced with steaming pans of varying dishes, each covered with paper towels or aluminum foil. I didn't even bother looking at the clock. I didn't plan on waking up early anyway.  
It's crazy how well you get to know someone in a few hours. We'd chatted the whole time about everything from politics to family to movies and tv shows. I knew him better than most of my other friends, it felt like. It was nice. I'd completely forgotten about my shitty situation.  
As he closed the oven on a batch of sugar cookies and pulled off his oven-mit, he looked up toward the only cabinet I hadn't been through that night. "I have some pretty good wine, if you're down for a celebratory drink."  
I watched as he opened the cabinet. "What are we celebrating?" I asked with a smile.  
He pulled out a green, unopened bottle. "An amazing Thanksgiving feast!" He yelled a little too loudly, holding the bottle over his head in victory. "It's not like you have to drive home or anything."  
I nodded. "I've never had wine before," I admitted.  
He shrugged, and pulled a corkscrew out of a drawer. "There's a first time for everything," he said as he stabbed the cork with the metal wire. "You don't have to."  
I thought for a moment, and came back to my original thought that I have nothing to lose. "I'd love to try some."  
A small smile appeared on his face. "Do you remember where the glasses are?"  
I nodded. They were in the cabinets right above the bar with the plates and bowls. I retrieved two tall wine glasses. Len began filling them with the wine before I even set them on the counter. The liquid was clear, with a slightly green tint. It bubbled as it splashed into the glass, and I found my mouth watering.  
"It tastes like apple cider," he explained as if he had read my mind. He picked up a glass in one hand, and, with the bottle still in the other, made his way out of the kitchen and toward the living room. I grabbed my glass, feeling very elegant to be drinking out of anything except a hand-washed mug, and followed him. We both plopped down tiredly on opposite ends of the surprisingly soft couch. Len set the bottle on the table, and leaned back, touching the glass to his lips. I mirrored him, and almost flinched as the taste hit me. It was strong, but delicious. I'd always had a sweet tooth, and this definitely satisfied it. It was like apple pie in a cup. There was the slight hint of sweetness from the apple, along with a little spice of cinnamon. It bubbled as I drank it, and I found myself taking several sips only seconds after I sat down.  
Len chuckled next to me. "You like it?"  
I nodded, swallowing another frothy gulp.  
He grinned. Then he set his glass on the coffee table next to the bottle, and leaned forward to untie his apron. He crumpled it in a ball threw it toward the kitchen, but it barely made it halfway before catching the air, and fluttering pathetically to the ground. I watched it settle into a small, crumpled heap on the ground, and sighed.  
His hand found the glass once again, and he relaxed into the couch. "Is everything alright?" He sipped as he asked the question.  
I looked down at the small bubbles in my glass. With a small swing of my hand, they swirled around on the surface of the liquid gold. "Have you ever been really sick?" I asked. "Like, so sick you had to be in the hospital for a long time?"  
The question seemed to take him off guard. He furrowed his brow. "I've had to stay in the hospital before, but not because I was sick."  
I nodded with a hanging head. "How'd your family take it?"  
He shook his head. He showed small traces of a smile. "They were more worried about me than even I was," he reminisced. "They refused to leave the hospital for days."  
I took a sip of my wine.  
"I'm sorry," he said after a pause. He had caught on. "I didn't mean to upset you." His tone was dark now.  
I smiled insincerely. "It's okay." _Of course they were there for him,_ I thought. _What else did I expect?_  
He didn't say anything. He just watched me, as if he expected me to keep talking. I knew what he was waiting for. That's one thing I learned pretty quickly with my condition; people always want to know about it. They always want to talk about it. Ask me questions. Usually, it would kill me to talk about it, so I rarely did. But in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning, sitting with someone who was both a complete stranger and my best friend, I decided I didn't really mind.  
"I have this... thing," I began with a deep breath. "Some part of my brain is messed up. The part that process how I see things...and stuff." I paused. This was harder than I thought. "And it's always been messed up. Like, since I was born. When I was a kid I'd wake up every once in awhile and I'd be completely blind." I took another sip. "And the doctors said that it was gonna get worse as I get older, and that I'd have more days where I wouldn't be able to see."  
"Damn," he said in awe. He surprised me, however. He was still looking me in the eye. He didn't have that pitying look in his eyes, either. "How... How often did you...?"  
I shrugged. "It was probably once every two months. I'd wake up blind, and wake up perfectly normal the next day." Another sip. "But it started happening more. Now it's at, like, once or twice a month."  
He soaked in my story like a sponge. "What do you do? I mean, when you can't see?"  
I took another deep breath. "Mostly just lay in bed all day." He shot me a worried glance and I waved him off. "I mean, I could get out if I wanted to. I can get around my apartment pretty easily when I can't see- Hell, I even walk around with my eyes closed for practice sometimes."  
That made him smile, and I was glad to lighten the mood a bit. "It's amazing what people with disabilities can do. It really is."  
I smiled sadly. "It's... been hard. On everyone. But I manage." I stared at the unlit fireplace across the room.  
He didn't respond for a few moments. Instead, he stood from the couch, and sat down so he was barely even an inch away from me. He smelt like pumpkin pie. "Here," he said, setting his wine glass down. "Look at this."  
I watched in confusion as he began to roll up the long sleeves of his shirt. My eyes widened as he revealed the skin of his upper forearm. A huge scar began just below his elbow, and stretched up his arm nearly to his shoulder. The line was red, and puffed up from the rest of his skin.  
Without a second thought, I ran a finger softly over the bump. "Whoa," I whispered. "How?"  
He held up his sleeve as I felt the scar. "When I was in college, I was walking home one night and I got hit by a drunk driver."  
That was enough to make me freeze. I looked up at him, not knowing what to say.  
"I was majoring in Culinary Arts, too," he added with a dark chuckle. "I was alright, except for this." He pulled his sleeve back down as my hand returned to my lap. "I could barely move my hand when it happened. I thought I'd never be able to do any of this-" he motioned to the food-stocked countertops. "-again. But look at me now." He ended with a smile.  
I stared at him. "Wow. That... That's awesome."  
He looked down at his now-covered arm, and his smile grew wider. "It took a lot of physical therapy, but it's all okay now. All I have left is the scar and the occasional numbness." He gave me a reassuring look. "But the doctors say that's normal. They were surprised." He added with a proud smile. "They told me I might as well have the arm amputated." He opened and closed his hand, staring down at his curling fingers. "But with a little determination, you can do anything."  
My glass was almost empty. "You have no idea how much better that makes me feel," I said after a couple of peaceful moments of silence.  
He smiled warmly. "Anytime."  
We held eye contact for a few sweet moments, before I set my now-empty glass down on the table and stood. "It's getting late," I observed, feeling suddenly shy. "I should probably get going."  
He stood with me. "Yeah. I should probably get to bed."  
He held his door open for me. My steps echoed as I entered the freezing cold hallway. "Happy Thanksgiving," I chirped as I passed him.  
He nodded. "Happy Thanksgiving."  
I felt his eyes on me as I crossed the hall, and heard the familiar slam of his door only when my hand fell on the handle of mine. I hesitated before opening it. I almost preferred the cold, unwelcoming hallway to my lonely, unwelcoming apartment.

Almost.  
I opened the door, and kept my eyes to the ground. I walked past all the dirty dishes, the smelly trash can in my kitchen full of unclean plates and bowls, and the mountain of unmade laundry on my couch. I tried to imagine my counters full of Thanksgiving goodies, pies, breads, the deep-fried turkey... but I couldn't. The smell was missing. So was the warmth of the heated oven. And Len.  
I walked slowly through the doorway into my room, and crawled into bed. I felt exhausted from standing so long, and I was half asleep the second my head hit the pillow. My fluffy comforter, likely my most prized possession, felt like a cloud as I cuddled it.  
Usually I'd be scared to go to sleep. Well, I'd be scared to wake up. But after my neighbor's uplifting story, I wasn't so scared of it anymore.  
I dreamed of white wine and pumpkin pie.

The first feeling I felt when I awoke was relief. Most people wouldn't be thankful to wake up and see a room that looked like a tornado went through it, but I was. At this point, I was thankful to see anything.  
The second feeling I felt was loneliness. According to my phone, it was already well past noon. Mom and Dad should be setting up Thanksgiving with the family. I imagined them crowding around my aunts table, arguing over which side of the plate to put the forks on, laughing with the distant family members we only saw once a year, and crowding on the couch to watch football.  
As quickly as it came, I tried to push the thought away. Maybe I should have just driven to be with them, for my sake.  
It took me a long time to get the courage to get out of bed. When I finally did, I took my cloud-comforter with me, clutching it around my shoulders like a cape.  
I couldn't ignore the mess around me now. My stomach rumbled, and I pulled a box of cereal out of my near-empty pantry. The only thing standing in my fridge was a small carton of milk. It was a day past the expiration date, but I didn't care too much. I poured it anyway, and left it by the sink. I decided I'd pour it out when I was done with my breakfast.  
I held my blanket around my shoulders with one hand, and my stale bowl of cereal with the other. I was too lazy to bother with the laundry on my couch, so I sat on the floor in front of it, and flipped on the tv with the remote.  
My suspicions were right. Harry Potter marathon for the whole day on ABC Family. At least I could spend my lonely holiday immersed in Hogwarts and the crazy antics of its students.  
The cereal tasted like a cardboard box, but I ate it anyway. I imagined it as the pumpkin bread Len cooked last night. Covered with cream cheese frosting... Ugh. It just barely made the cardboard box bearable.  
Just as I swallowed the first lump, I froze at the sound of a knock on my door. I threw the bowl carelessly on the ground; no doubt spilling milk everywhere, and jumped to my feet. I left the safety of my blanket and opened the door.  
Well, speak of the Devil. "Hey," Len greeted me. He was dressed up in semi-formal attire: a pair of dark jeans with a button up shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing part of his scar. His hair was perfectly combed and pulled back. I was unprepared for my heart to flutter at the sight of him.  
"Hey," I said dreamily, leaning against the door for support. Also because I didn't want him to see the trash bin that was my apartment.  
"So, I was thinking," he began. "Since you helped me cook everything last night, I thought it'd only be fair for you to be able to eat some."  
"Oh, no, it's okay," I answered before he even asked. "I don't need any leftovers. I've got plenty of snacks." I'd never really looked at him in a romantic way, but _damn_ he looked good in that button up shirt.  
He chuckled, and it only made me fall harder. "No, I was gonna ask if you wanted to come join us for dinner."  
My eyes widened. "Really?" I asked, a glimmer of hope now in my dark, depressing day. "You wouldn't mind?"  
"Not at all." He motioned with his hands as he spoke. "In fact, I really want you to come. I think the fam would like you." His expression showed sign of shyness, and I smiled at it.  
"Yeah. I'd- I'd love that," I stammered in response.  
"Sweet," he said happily. "Do you wanna come help me set up?" He motioned back toward his door.  
"Yeah, sure," I answered too quickly. "Just let me get ready first."  
"Alright. See ya in a few."  
I nodded hastily. "Uh, huh."  
I closed my door as he turned away. Oh God. What was I gonna wear?  
I bounded over the random things on the floor as I sprinted to my walk-in closet in the bedroom, flicking on the light switch with the urgency of an ambulance driver. My closet was nearly empty; most of my wardrobe was strewn across the couch. But all my fancy things were still hung up; I didn't wear them nearly as often.  
There was one shelf dedicated to my dresses, and I excitedly looked through them. Black? Too depressing. Pink? Too girly. Blue? Too... Blue.  
It didn't take me long to settle on a white, knee-length dress with like pink and yellow flowers stitched around the waist. I kept my accessories in a cardboard box, tucked away in the corner. I shuffled through it and finally pulled out a white bow. It'd been awhile since I'd had to work one of these in my hair. A tall mirror was nailed into the wall opposite the door. I grabbed a brush off one of the empty shelves, and began running it through my knotty hair. It hurt, a lot, but I didn't slow down. I wanted out of the hell-hole that was my home as soon as possible. When it began to look half-decent, I opened the clip of my bow, and slid it onto the back of my head. I grinned at my reflection.  
I decided against makeup, just putting on some quick chapstick, before I shuffled through the box once again to find a leather satchel that I used to carry around all the time. It's light, creamy color went well with my dress, and I would need somewhere to keep my phone anyway.  
I pulled out a pair of light pink flats from under my bed, dusting them off by beating them into the ground. They were almost too small for me. But I was squeeze my feet into them.  
I took one last look into my closet before leaving, and stopped at the sight of the mirror at the end. I admired the way my bow poked out from either side of my head, and the way my hair fell evenly just over my shoulders, and the way my dress flowed gracefully down my legs, and how cute my tiny feet looked in my old flats. My eyes followed the curve of my arm, down to where my hand rested on my satchel. And all I could think about was, what if I had woken up blind this morning? And Len had asked me to join him? A picture appeared in my head of me sitting at the dinner table, Len's family and friends surrounding me, looking like I had when I woke up this morning.  
I walked past the mirror, trying to push the image out of my head. Instead, I remembered Len's story. And how he coped with it.  
I admired the fact that he didn't let it alter his everyday life. The scar had been pretty obvious with the shirt he was wearing, but he didn't seem to mind. At all. Maybe, hopefully, I'd be the same.  
It was freezing outside. It had snowed even more overnight, and from what I could see from the hallway, more clouds were rolling in. I didn't mind much. Despite my mother using it as her excuse for not seeing me, I'd always loved the snow.  
I knocked on Len's door, and he opened it nearly instantly. His eyes scanned me up and down, and I was amused by the fact that he actually looked surprised to see me like this.  
"You clean up well," he said with a small smile on his face.  
I blushed. "I'll take that as a compliment."  
"It was intended as so." He welcomed me into his apartment for the second time in twenty-four hours. The carpets were recently vacuumed, the tables and counters were wiped clean with Thanksgiving treats scattered around them, and the tv was turned to the sports channel. The fireplace below was also lit, adding a homey mood to the whole place.  
"My family are a bunch of sports nuts," the blonde explained as I watched the reporters on the screen.  
"When are they gonna be here?" I asked. The thought hit me that I was meeting his entire crazy family.  
He looked down at a silver watched on his left wrist. "In about an hour. Everything's pretty much set up already. The turkey still isn't done frying, but it will be by dinnertime."  
I laughed. "So you _don't_ need help setting up?"  
He shrugged, and sat down on the couch. "I like the company. And I assumed you would too." He waited for me to respond, but I just sat down next to him. "Nobody deserves to be alone on Thanksgiving."  
I smiled as I sat next to him. "Thanks for thinking about me."  
"Of course," he said as he turned his attention toward the tv. I watched, too, but I wasn't nearly as interested in what the hosts were talking about.  
I sighed contentedly. This beat a Harry Potter marathon, any day. I could feel the heat of the fireplace even from across the room. The food smelled amazing, like always. But the best part was having a living, breathing person next to me. It was nice.  
But, as always, whenever I found myself happy, it had to come tumbling down. I blinked at the tv, and when I reopened my eyes, it wasn't there anymore. And suddenly I was alone again.  
I blinked again, quicker. It was back. My gaze snapped to Len next to me. He was there. He hadn't noticed my suddenly twitchy movements. I blinked again. He was gone.  
 _Okay_ , I thought, closing my eyes. _Don't panic. He'll be there when you open your eyes. It's just a flicker._ But this had never happened to me before. It was so sudden. It only happened when I woke up. _No._  
I opened my eyes again, and there was nothing.  
Being blind is a weird thing. It's not like I see black, or anything. I literally see nothing. It's just... not there. It's like looking at the back of your head, or trying to see past your peripheral vision. It's just _nothing_. Fear began to creep into me. Even though I was sitting down, I felt like something was going to hit me. Like I was going to run into something. Like something was going to attack me and I wouldn't be able to see it. Or defend myself.  
I opened and closed my eyes a few more time rapidly. Nothing. The sound of the tv and the crackle of the fireplace was drowned out in the quickening beating of my heartbeat. _Not now._ Please _not now._  
I uncrossed my legs and leaned forward, feeling the couch below me. I touched my face, my fingers meeting my skin way before I expected, and flinched from my own touch. In another world, I heard Len's concerned voice, but I had no idea what he was saying. My breathing quickened. A pit had formed in my chest. My heart felt like it was trying to break out of me.  
Then a hand appeared on my back. I felt it gradually. Like, I didn't just suddenly feel it. It felt like it was there the whole time, but I slowly began to sense it. Feel it there. And then I realized that even if I couldn't see him, Len was still there.  
"Rin?" He was saying, over and over again.  
I tried to breath evenly but I couldn't. "I can't... I can't-I-I-" I cut myself off. "Where are you?" My voice was panicked.  
I would guess he then understood what was happening. "Hey," he said, his voice low. "I'm right here." He was to my right. His hand was still on my back. "I'm right here."  
My hands were shaking in front of me. "I can't see!" I wailed. "I can't-"  
"Shhh-" he shushed me. I felt his hand grab one of mine. "It's okay."  
"No, it's not! I can't-"  
"Just calm down, Rin." His voice was still low. "You'll be okay."  
"I can't just calm down!" I snapped, standing without even realizing it. My breathing was becoming painful.  
He must have stood with me, because his hand returned to mine once again. "You need to breathe," he said firmly, but kindly. "Rin, listen to me."  
I shook my head. "No-"  
"Breathe," he repeated, louder this time. He then started to take loud, audible breaths. "Come on."  
I sniffled a few times, but tried to keep my inhales and exhales in sync with his.  
His hands found my shoulders. "Good," he encouraged. He guided me back down to the couch. "Keep breathing."  
I steadily regained my composure. I kept blinking as quickly as I could, waiting for my vision to flash back in.  
"Wait," I whispered, as I saw the flash of a fireplace. "I... I think it's coming back..." I trailed off, and began to blink slower. Every few blinks, the scene of the living room flashed in front of me, and then was gone the next.  
I was only vaguely aware that he was still holding my hand.  
And finally, the room stayed. I closed and opened my eyes several times, and the fireplace, the tv, and Len were all there. I took deep breaths, and eventually relaxed back against the couch, staring greedily at the crackling fire. I was suddenly glad that I didn't wear makeup; my cheeks felt wet with tears I didn't even know spilled.  
I turned my head to see Len staring at me intently. I shook my head quickly. "I'm sorry," I said softly. "I'm sorry..."  
"Don't be sorry," he answered with a concerned voice. "Are you okay?"  
I wiped my cheeks. "Yeah. Yeah I'm..." I sniffed. "I'm fine."  
An awkward tension filled the air, and instead of feeling lonely, I felt guilty. I pulled my hand away from his, and buried my face in my hands. "Maybe it was better for me to stay home after all."  
He perked up. "What? No, no not at all," he insisted.  
"Oh God, if I'd been with my parents..." I felt like crying again.  
"It's okay," he assured me. "It's not like you could help it."  
"Yeah... but it's still embarrassing. And just because I have to deal with it doesn't mean everyone else does."  
He considered that for a second. "It's not about having to deal with it. It's about being there for you when _you're_ dealing with it."  
My hands dropped into my lap. "What do you mean?" My eyes were still red. I couldn't look at him.  
I could tell he was looking at me. "I mean that people shouldn't distance themselves from you just because you're different. In fact, I think it's terrible that they're distancing themselves from you at all like this." He paused. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to force my opinion on you, but it's true. When this-" he held up his scarred arm. "-happened to me, I had all the support in the world. I couldn't even imagine having none."  
I stayed silent.  
"So," he continued, still watching me. "If they aren't gonna be there for you, _I_ will. And so will my family, I know it. I want you to stay, and enjoy a nice Thanksgiving dinner with me. And them. And then you can forget all about it. Okay?"  
I still couldn't look at him.  
"Okay?" He repeated.  
I knew he wasn't going to budge, so I sucked up my courage, and met his gaze. "Okay," I answered with a voice crack.  
And just when I thought nothing would make me feel better, he smiled. "Not a sports fan, huh?" And then he changed the channel for me, and we watched a starting Christmas movie marathon.

I gradually began to relax again. I could pay much more attention to The Polar Express. And as the scene began to feel bright and cheerful- peaceful, even- again, I almost found my panic ridiculous. Of course nothing was going to happen to me, even if I couldn't see.

I found myself admiring Len's reaction to it. He seemed so calm about it. If I had been with my parents… I'd probably be in the E.R. right now. What a great Thanksgiving that would have been. And usually I hated it when people touched me. But his hand on mine had felt so comforting.

I looked down at his, resting limply on the couch. He was paying too much attention to the movie to notice. Without a second thought, I slid my fingers between his, and looked back up at the movie.

He didn't say anything. His eyes stayed glued to the tv, and he squeezed my hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the hint of a smile.

We sat like that for a beautiful while. The train had just made it over the frozen lake when we began to hear a clamour in the hall.

"Did he make the pumpkin bars?" a high voice squealed. "I want the pumpkin bars!"

"... just have to see when we get there," a sweet, female voice responded gently. There were a horde of footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Is Janey gonna be there? Janey always has the cool pictures," another young voice appeared.

Len looked over at me, amused. "That's them," he said. "Brace yourself for the storm."

I giggled.

"I think Janey's coming later," the woman answered. Their voices all echoed through the hall.

Yet another new voice sounded. "Did Lenny set up the tree yet?"

I laughed. "Lenny?" I asked him as the voice continued from the hall.

He stood, and I followed suit. "They all call me that," he answered, embarrassed.

"I think it's cute."

I couldn't keep the voice straight anymore.

"The tree doesn't go up 'til Christmas, dummy."

"Hey, don't call me a dummy!"

"Then don't be a dummy!"

I laughed at the exchange as Len put a hand on the handle. He gave me one last exasperated look. "Show time," declared.

And then he opened the door.

 _Sorry I'm late! I started this the day before Thanksgiving thinking I'd finish it. Hah. Wishful thinking, I guess. I've started a TON of other stories, but I just can't get the motivation or time to finish them. Too many ideas, not enough hours in the day._

 _This one actually turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it was gonna be, but that's okay. Also: Quick note, I'm fairly new to this site and I only just figured out that I can reply to comments. Go me!_

 _Song- Cold Hand ft. Kitsune Tsuki (Who is an UTAU I know please don't hate me) by YouTuber kyaami. The original version used Rin, but I'm honestly not a huge fan of it._

 _Link-_ _watch?v=laVQlFgVSmk_

 _Thanks for Reading! :)_


	8. Holidays-Christmas Adventure

_Rated T for language_

The subway was surprisingly crowded considering it was four in the afternoon on Christmas Day.

I hadn't wanted to go home early from work, but the boss kicked me out. He claimed "everyone else took the day off, why didn't you?" Well, why not? Because of Christmas? Bah-humbug. I needed the hours. And I had no plans for the dreadful day. And as I walked out of the office building, wrapping my scarf around my neck and muttering curse words to myself, the only positive thing I could think of as how nice the empty subway would be.

But it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, it was nothing compared to rush hour. But there were still too many goddamn people. There's always too many people.

So, there I was still, grumpily sitting in the seats. Surrounding me were an array of unique looking people; there was never a shortage of weirdos in Chicago, all looking down at their phones, books, newspapers, or whatever-the-fuck-else. I was content with keeping my eyes out the window. I hadn't had a phone in years, and I couldn't stand to see people constantly tapping on their screens. What could possibly be more important than the world in front of you? Twitter? Psh. People are stupid.

The subway car slowed to a stop, and it's doors opened. Some stood, pocketing their phones/books/whatever-the-fuck-else and making their way out. One or two people came into the car, filling the newly emptied seats. Their movements were like clockwork. I'd see a person for only a couple of seconds a day, and in just those few moments I could see them stuck in the loop. The loop of waking up, going to work, going home, sleeping, repeating. Nothing annoyed me more. Well, nothing except the fact that I myself was stuck in the loop with them. But at least I noticed it.

I crossed my arms. The metal wall of the car was cold on my back; I could even feel it through my heavy coat. My lap top case was sitting on my lap, and I briefly considered opening it, just to have something to do. But then, just as the doors were closing, one last person entered the car. She was a young woman, dressed from head to toe in winter wear, with frizzy blonde hair and dark circles under her eyes. She took a quick, desperate look around the car for a seat, and spotted the empty space next to me. Normally, I would have been disappointed to have my personal space invaded, but she looked so tired, I couldn't help but scoot over a bit for her.

She gave me a quick nod in thanks, and took the seat next to me. And then she opened the zipper on one of her pockets, and- what do you know- pulled out an iphone. I sighed. Of course.

The car stopped and went a couple more times. I was surprised at how long the girl stayed on the sub. I thought my ride was long; I lived decently far from work, but this girl seemed ready to spend the night in the seat next to me. She didn't look up from her phone once, not even to check which stop we were at. The longer she stayed with me, the more interested in her I became. Her hair was short, and held out of her face with a few white hair clips. She had fingerless gloves on- no doubt so she could still text- with a fluffy white coat. While looking her up and down, I realized that she was short. _Really_ short. As in, her feet barely touched the floor. A cream-colored purse was hung over her shoulder. It was open.

Another stop. More people got out of the car, less people got on. As more time passed, I began to feel the urge to talk to her. Not hit on her, or anything like that. Just strike up some conversation with her. Have a friendly talk. I mean, she looked like she could use it. There were some moments where I snuck looks at her and she looked ready to burst into tears. And the entire time, she was staring at that damn phone. I couldn't help but see a text conversation on the screen. I wasn't able to make out the words, though. I could only snoop for so long. Didn't want her catching me staring and thinking I was a creep, or something.

It wasn't long before I saw her rhythmic patterns as well. She'd type away for a couple seconds, then pause. Type, pause. Type, pause. She was talking to the fastest texter I'd ever heard seen. Either that, it whatever they were talking about was important.

She sighed, and began typing again. _Say something,_ I thought. _But what? How's the weather today? Why are you on a subway on Christmas? Who are you texting and about what? Why do you look like you're ready to crawl under a rock?_ So many great conversation starters. I tapped my fingers on the fabric of my laptop case. Maybe it would be better to just leave her alone.

The second I came to my conclusion, the car stopped again, and I was almost startled as she stood from her seat, and walked to the door. I watched her disappear out the door, feeling slightly disappointed. _This is why you have no friends, Len_. I told myself.

And then my eyes fell on her seat, where a small book sat. I quickly grabbed it, and held it toward her.

"Miss-"

But she was gone. The doors closed, a few people gave me annoyed looks, and I was left with this tiny pocketbook. I slumped back in my seat, and turned it over in my hand. It's cover was a light brown paper, and the cover had the words "The Adventure Log" written across it in fancy letters. There was a small picture of a compass below the words. At the bottom of the cover, written in black pen, was "Rin - 12." The handwriting was neat and girly. I turned it over, but the back cover was blank.

Well, shit. What was I going to do with this? It was so tiny, it must have fallen out of her purse. There was little-to-no hope of returning it. I had no idea who this girl was. With yet another defeated sigh, I simply put the book back down on her seat, thinking the staff would find it and put it into some lost and found. Were there even staff on a subway? I wasn't sure.

My stop was nearing, and I tried my best to keep my eyes off the book. But I couldn't stop my mind from turning it over. What was an adventure log, anyway? The only thing that came to mind was someone stamping a passport or a book when they went to a new country. But if this was a passport, then I definitely couldn't leave it here.

 _It's not a passport,_ I tried to convince myself as I slung my laptop case over my shoulder in preparation for my stop. _It's just some stupid book. It's probably not even that big of a deal._

And then another image flashed into my head. The image of that poor girl with her somber expression, probably thinking that this day couldn't get any worse. Except, when she saw her book was missing, she'd know that it could.

I swooped the book up as I finally got out of that stupid subway.

The station was crowded, too, so I made my way up the stairs as quickly as I could. I squinted my eyes at the bright city as it was revealed to me; there was snow on every surface in sight. The streets were much more empty than the subway, and the sidewalks, save for the occasional bundled up pedestrian, were cleared as well. I took shelter next to the nearest building to figure out what I was going to do with this… thing.

 _Well,_ my inner voice told me. _You decided what you were going to do the second you took that book. Looks like you're the one going on the adventure._ But how was I going to find out where she was? I had a first name: Rin. And the number twelve. I couldn't just walk the streets of Chicago stalking this girl. But, then again, that's exactly what I had to do to find her.

I could have just kept it. I didn't have to find her. Chances were I was never going to see her again whether I tried to find her or not. But it didn't feel right to just take it. _Ugh, you should have left it on the subway._

I wanted to find her, I decided. I wanted to find her and give this back to her, no matter how creeped out she'd be. The worst thing that could happen would be a weirded out look from her, but then I'd never see her again. And she'd have her book back.

But how could I find her with just a name?

I sighed. I didn't want to look through it, but I could think of no better idea. I didn't want to snoop, but it seemed that I had no choice. _Only one page. Just enough for me to have some clue as to where she is, or where I could leave this thing._ I scanned the street one last time, feeling like I was committing some sort of crime, and hesitantly opened the book to the first page.

Written on the inside cover, in the same cursive as on the front, were the words "Everyday's an adventure." I chuckled softly at the positive message, and turned my attention to the page next to it. The page was divided into several boxes, each labeled. One was labeled Location, another was Date, then Conditions, Companions, and at the bottom were several lines labeled Notes. On this particular page, the date October 18th, 2015 was scribbled in black pen. Location was Millennium Park, Chicago. Conditions: Clear. Under companions was a small polaroid picture of two girls. A selfie. I recognized the one holding the camera as Rin, who was grinning from ear to ear, leaning against another girl with blonde hair like Rin's, but much longer. Her smile was there, but it was more content and calm opposed to Rin's excited, overjoyed one. Under the Notes section, Rin had written a couple sentences.

 _Lily took me out to a picnic at the park for my birthday, and gave me a new adventure log! Can't believe I'm already on lucky number 12. Blessed._

I smiled at the last word. Knowing that the number written on the front of the book was of no importance to finding her was also a relief. I also had never been sure on how a number could be lucky, but I had no place to judge. I _was_ pretty much snooping through this stranger's personal life.

Well, I had a location, but in the back of my mind, I had a good feeling it would be pointless to go there. This was dated two months ago. I knew they weren't going to be there, but I wanted to find as many clues about where she _could_ be while also looking through this book as little as possible. Maybe, just maybe, there was some clue at the park.

It wasn't too far of a walk from where I was, so I started down the deserted street in the direction of the park. _Maybe she goes there often,_ I tried to convince myself. _Maybe I'll find her there looking at one of the sculptures, or something._

Millennium Park was a pretty big tourist destination, especially around this time of year. It was surrounded by the tall buildings of the urban city, and featured everything from an ice skating rink to museum-worthy sculptures.

I rubbed my hands together for warmth. I was dressed for the chilly weather, but I didn't expect to be wandering the streets of the city for who-knows-how-long. I had gloves, a jacket, a scarf, everything. But the sun was going down, and it was only going to get colder.

About halfway to the park, I decided to take shelter in the nearest building just for a few minutes. Just so I could remember what it felt like to feel warm.

I quickly veered to the right, and pushed open the glass door of a flower shop. A bell chimed cheerfully above me, and I was hit with the sweet, fresh smell of plants. Display cases lines the walls around me, each filled with a freshly wrapped bouquet of flowers. There were many empty spaces; I assumed Christmas was a busy day for a flower shop. There were standalone cases in the middle of the tiny shop too, but these were complete empty.

As the far end of the store stood the cash register. Behind the counter was a saleswoman, dressed in uniform for her locally-owned store. Standing in front of her, with her back to me, was another woman. She had short, green hair, and was holding a huge vase filled with roses.

I had walked right into their conversation. "... be twenty-four ninety five," the cashier said, giving me only a single, annoyed look before returning her attention to the customer in front of her.

The green-haired girl set the flowers on the counter, and pulled her wallet out of her purse. Her shoulders slumped. "Can… can you take a twenty?"

The cashier shook her head, annoyed. "I'm sorry," she said insincerely. Her curly, chestnut hair bounced with every motion she made. "Twenty-four ninety five."

"Please," the customer begged. "It's Christmas. They're for my girlfriend- she's in the hospital."

"I-I can't, miss," Curly Hair replied.

Normally, I would have minded my own business, but remembering how disappointed I had been when Rin got off the subway, I decided to step up.

"Hey," I entered the conversation suddenly. The customer almost jumped as I appeared next to her; she probably didn't hear me come in. "I have a five, if you need it."

Her deep-green eyes widened. "Really? Ohmygosh, thank you _so_ much." She watched eagerly as I pulled my wallet out the pocket of my jeans, and handed her a crisp five dollar bill. "You have no idea how much this means to me," she insisted, taking the money from me.

An unfamiliar feeling of happiness came over me. I suddenly tried to remember the last time I'd been so charitable, and my mind came up blank. "It's no problem," I waved it off.

"I'm Gumi." She introduced herself as the cashier accepted her- and my- money.

"Len," I greeted back, shaking her hand.

She nodded thankfully at me, and grabbed her flowers. "Merry Christmas, Len."

I nodded back to her. "Merry Christmas."

She then turned, and walked out of the store.

I lingered around the entrance for a little longer, before the cashier spoke up to me.

"Hey, kid. You gonna buy something?"

I shook my head, rubbing my hands together. "Just trying to get warm. In fact- I was just leaving."

Might as well leave before I got kicked out.

And I was back on the streets once again. There was no sign of Gumi; she'd probably taken a cab. I would have done the same, but I hate taxi's, and the park was just around the corner.

I crossed the final street, stepping onto the paved path of Millennium Park. Yellow Christmas lights seemed to cover every visible surface of the park. The sidewalks here were not nearly as deserted as the streets, but I could still walk past everyone without constantly bumping shoulders. I passed several families; children, parents, grandparents, pets. The whole deal. They were all dressed to the nines in their designer coats and hundred dollar snow boots. Being near them made me look homeless. I chuckled, walking past all of them with my hands in my pockets.

I reached the ice rink, my eyes following the skaters in their circular pattern. I hoped for a glimpse of Rin, or maybe the other girl in the picture with her- Lily, if I remember right- but it was no use. I must have stood there, watching people pass by for an hour before I finally gave up. I was sure I'd seen everyone in the park at least twice, and neither Rin nor Lily were anywhere to be seen. And neither was a clue to either of their whereabouts.

I took a frustrated breath. I had no choice but to turn the page in her book. _God, I'm such a creep._

Still leaning over the rink, I pulled the book out of my pocket, opening to the first page again. There were Rin and Lily, still smiling at me, still at Millennium Park, and still on the day of October 18th. I didn't want to turn the page- but I had to. So, I slowly did.

My jaw dropped. I couldn't help it. On the next page, the first thing that caught my eye was the picture. Once again, under the Companions section was a polaroid picture, this time featuring Rin, Lily, and a third familiar character. The same green-haired girl I'd seen at the florists.

 _No way,_ I thought, my heartbeat picking up at my potential lead. _No way that's her._

But it was.

Location: North Bridge Shops. Date: October 20th, 2015. Conditions: Empty Mall! Notes:

 _Ladies night! Nothing beats shopping with two of my favorite girls!_

The picture was, once again, a selfie taken by Rin. She wore the same huge smile, Lily with her calm and collected grin, and Gumi mid-laugh. They were all holding shopping bags with the Victoria's Secret logo on them, and were standing in front of a fountain.

 _Well,_ I thought, my legs already aching from the walk. _Guess I have my next location._

The mall was just down the street, but it felt like ages before I finally reached the end of the parking lot, and entered the indoor-mall. Again, it was much more crowded than I would have liked, but it was nothing compared to the horde of shoppers I'd expected. I imagined most of these people to be last-minute, and I mean _really_ last minute, Christmas shoppers. Everyone looked to be in a hurry.

Not sure where exactly I was going, I made my way to the middle of the shopping center, where I knew the fountain in the picture stood. I turned a final corner, my wet shoes tapping on the marble floors, and sure enough, there was the marble water feature. A few people idled near it, sitting on the benches next to it or chatting cheerfully on their feet. For the millionth time that night, I sighed, and stood over the water. Beneath the clear waves, I could see the glimmer of thousands of coins. Thousands of wishes.

I'd never been very superstitious, but, with my hands in my pockets, I could feel the spare change jingling around. I figured, why not, and pulled out the first coin I felt. It was a quarter. _Wat a waste of a good quarter,_ my pessimistic side pointed out. But I ignored it, and flicked the coin into the water. My eyes followed it until it plopped through, and settled among the countless other wishes.

 _I wish I could find this girl._

I sat on the edge of the fountain, careful not to fall in, and pulled the book out again. I already read it, I might as well read more. This was coming to be much more trouble than I anticipated.

The next page was dated October 31st, 2015. The picture was of five girls this time. A crammed group picture, not a selfie this time, of Rin, posing in a witch costume. Next to her stood Lily, then Gumi, then two other girls I hadn't seen yet. One had bright pink hair that reached all the way down to her legs, and the other with bright blue pigtails. Both were dressed in matching cat costumes. Lily had her long hair pinned up in a neat bun, and was showing off a kimono. Dressed as a Geisha? I couldn't be sure. Gumi was clearly dressed as a zombie, with fake blood, ripped clothes, and a fake bite mark on her neck that didn't look so fake. I wondered who did that; it looked pretty convincing. So convincing, in fact, that I couldn't look at it long without getting nauseous.

 _Great night with the best friends I could ever have._

The note was the shortest I'd seen yet, and it reminded me of the pictures girls would post on Instagram back in high school. Quotes and all. I chuckled.

The location was Miku's House, and that didn't help me much. So I turned the page again, not worrying so much about snooping anymore. I was already in, might as well go deeper. I guess.

The next page kind of surprised me. The date was November 17th, and the location was Osaka, Japan. The picture featured Lily and Rin, walking on the streets.

 _Exploring my favorite place on the planet with the most annoying big sister ever. Like, seriously Lily. Do we have to go into_ every _store?_

I smiled. The picture showed Lily, with a herd of shopping bags hanging off her arms. So they're sisters. That explains a lot.

The next page was a family photo. Rin and Lily were standing with an older man and woman, all four of them laughing.

 _Love Mom and Dad. Wish I could see them more, but Chicago's calling for me!_

I was flipping the pages like a book now. The next one was of Rin and Lily in a messy hotel room. Rin took a picture of herself, her smile a bit smaller now, with Lily laying on one of the beds in the background. She looked a bit pale, but her matured smile still brightened her face. Around them were half-packed suitcases.

 _Cutting the trip short so Lily can feel better. Chicago, here we come!_

I was suddenly brought back to reality as a group of children ran past me, and found their place next to the fountain. They all laughed with Christmas spirit, each holding a coin. I stood, partly to get out of their way, and partly because I was so startled by them.

"At the same time!" I heard one of them say. "One, two… three!"

A cloud of coins flew into the air, and each hit the water at the same time. They caused quite a splash when they hit, and I found myself grinning again. I instinctively put the book safely back in my pocket, trying to protect it as a few drops of water hit me.

The children stood around laughing for a couple more seconds, before running back in the direction they came from. I watched them go, my smile slowly fading.

I was getting no clues from this anymore. There _had_ to be somewhere I could go. There had to be.

An idea popped in my head. I'd seen Gumi at the flower shop; maybe the cashier could give me some information. I looked down at my watch. It was already almost six. Were they closed? I prayed not. Most places closed at six. Oh no. Could I make it back through the park, and up the street again in ten minutes?

Well, I was determined to try.

I wasn't so cold when I ran through the park a second time, because I did so at a full sprint. I'd never ran so far, so fast, in my life. And I played soccer in high school, so that's saying something.

The lights of the park passed by me in a blur. I saw a few heads turn my way, but I ignored them.

When I finally ran up to the store, I saw the woman with the curly brown hair fiddling with the glass door. She was closing up shop for the night. I got there just in time.

Her head turned my way as I slowed to a stop in front of her. She furrowed her brow at me in confusion. "You again?"

I tried to catch my breath as quickly as I could, but I couldn't speak yet.

She sighed. "Look, if you're trying to buy flower, you're too late. I already locked it-"

I shook my head. "No… no…" was all I could get out between laboured breaths. "Oh God," I muttered, my legs burning.

"Uh, you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah.. yeah I'm good. I was just… trying to get here before you… left." I was beginning to relax.

"I told you. We're closed already. You should have bought some when you were here earlier."

"No, I'm not here to buy your flowers." I put my hands behind my head, trying to clear my breathing. A trick I'd learned in gym class so many years ago. "You know that girl that was here earlier?"

"There are a lot of girls that came into my store today," the woman replied sarcastically.

"The one that was there when I was there."

"Green hair?"

I nodded, my arms falling limply to my sides again.

"What about her?" She crossed her arms, clearly annoyed with the conversation.

"Do you know her? Or where she could be?"

That took her off guard. "I mean, she's a pretty regular customer in the store, but I didn't even know her name until today." She narrowed her eyes at me. "Why?"

I took a deep breath. How was I supposed to explain this? "I have something of her friends', and I need to return it to her."

She only looked more confused.

Knowing I had no other choice, I pulled the book out of my pocket. "Her friend dropped this, and I need to find her so I can give it back."

The woman let out a single laugh. "You're stalking through the city, the night of Christmas, hunting a girl you've never met, to give her back a stupid book?"

I shrugged. "Well, when you put it like that-"

The woman shook her head. "I wish I could help you." Her tone changed from sarcastic to sympathetic. "But I don't know her, no. All I know is that she comes in the store pretty often. Like, maybe once or twice a week. Usually around five, just before closing time."

My shoulders slumped. "Could… could I maybe leave this with you? So you could give it back to her next time you see her?"

She shook her head. "I have so many customers, honestly, I'd probably forget all about it. It'd just end up in the trash."

The thought of this thing ending up in a dumpster made me want to puke. I'd come too far, ran too far, to give up now. "Alright," I said. "Thanks for your help."

"Hey," she put a hand on my shoulder. "You seem pretty determined about this. I believe in you, kid." She moved her hand away from me. "Good luck."

I nodded. "Thank you."

She walked across the sidewalk, unlocking and opening the door to a small red car parked along the street. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

And then she drove away.

 _Dammit,_ I thought to myself. _I was so close._

I had a few options now. I could just come back to the shop at the same time every day, hoping she'd be here. But that didn't feel right. I was beginning to feel an urgency to give this back to Rin. Again, I hadn't come this far to just go home.

 _I'm not going home until I this book is in Rin's hands,_ I promised myself, thinking of the valuable pictures and moments stored within. _It must mean so much to her._

I sat down on the freezing sidewalk, and opened the book again. The next few entries didn't look specifically important; just one of her and Lily on the plane home, and a couple of her and her friends hanging out at random places throughout the city. All the locations were marked as someone's house, so they were of no use to me. I didn't know where Miku's house was. Or anyone's. Or who Miku even was.

One entry caught my eye. It was dated only a week ago, and included a picture of Rin leaning down next to Lily, who was looking much worse than the last picture. She looked almost ghostly; pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, and a drooping smile. Rin didn't seem to have a care in the world, however.

 _Lily's stronger than even I thought._

The note made my heart drop. So she was in the hospital.

After that post, there were a couple more entries of Rin doing everyday things, until I turned the page to a picture of Rin, Gumi, and the blue haired girl. It was another selfie of the three, and Blue was standing behind the counter of a store, in an all black uniform.

 _Miku's new job!_

My shoulders slumped at the location. Victoria's Secret, North Bridge Shops.

 _Are you fucking kidding me,_ I thought to myself in despair. _I was_ just _there._

But then another possible lead popped into my head. This was dated December 22nd, 2015. Just three days ago. Maybe she'd be working tonight.

My hands dropped into my lap. I'd backtracked through Chicago more time than I ever thought possible, and I was fed up with it. My pessimism was taking over. I was never gonna find this girl. I'd already been out for hours. I was cold. I wanted to go home. I wanted to throw this stupid book on the sidewalk and leave it there. Maybe someone else would find it and then it'd be their problem. I hated people before, why do I care so much about this stranger now? I don't. That's it. I don't care.

I looked down at the page one last time, and my eyes caught on a small drop on the page. I completely forgot about my internal temper tantrum, and instead began worrying about the water damage. Had I caused this? I thought I had covered it when those kids' coins had splashed water everywhere.

Before thinking, I turned the page again and froze.

Location: _Lily's Hospital Room._ Condition: _No, not her. Please._ Companions: A selfie of Rin, clearly forcing a smile, with tears in her eyes. Behind her was an unconscious Lily, laying in the hospital bed, hooked up to some sort of machine. A life support machine.

 _Love you, Sis._

But what really killed me was the date. December 25th, 2015. Today. This happened _today._

I waved over the next taxi I saw, and directed the driver back to the mall.

When I got there, I made a beeline for Victoria's Secret. It didn't register how uncomfortable this was going to be until I was standing in front of the doors, people all around, looking in through the windows. I'd never been inside a lingerie store before, and I hadn't expected today to be my first time. I stared in through the windows, trying to catch of glimpse of Miku's distinctive blue hair. I couldn't the image of Lily in her hospital bed out of my mind.

I perked up as my eyes caught on a dash of blue come into the main part of the store from the back. I recognized her at once as Miku. I smiled at the possible friend, and entered the store, awkwardness aside.

She was wearing the same outfit as she had been in the picture, but her hair was down. There was no doubt in my mind that it was her, however. And I approached her without thinking about what I was going to say.

She was looking through a rack of jackets when I approached her.

"Um, excuse me," I said.

She looked up at me, and smiled. "Hey. Looking for a Christmas present for your girlfriend, or something?"

I smiled, and shook my head. "Um, no. Actually, I… uh," I pulled the book out of my pocket again, and Miku's friendly look was immediately replaced with one of confusion.

"Is that-" She began.

"Rin's? Yeah, it is." I cut her off.

She paused, turned toward me. "Who are you?"

I shrugged. "I'm just some guy. She sat down next to me on the subway earlier and left this there. It looked important, so I thought I'd return it to her."

She just stared at me. "How did you know-"

"I had to look through it, a little. I-I didn't mean to pry at all. I just thought it'd have some clues as to where she'd be. So I could return it to her." She still looking confused, so I continued. "And there's a picture in here of you in your uniform, so I thought I'd be able to give this to you, or something."

She crossed her arm, giving me a smug look. "Wow. You're really dedicated to this, huh."

I nodded. "I've been running all over town looking for her. I've been following the clues in here." I laughed. "I know this is probably gonna sound really creepy, but I feel like I know all you guys. She writes about you so much in here."

She smiled, thinking for a second. "Who's 'you guys?'"

"Well, in here she has you, Gumi, Lily, and… Luka? Is that how you pronounce it?" Miku nodded, clearly getting a kick out of this. "And," I kept going. "It's crazy. Before I knew who Gumi was, I saw her at the flower shop earlier today. I had no idea she knew Rin."

Miku shook her head in disbelief. "This is so weird." She pointed back to the desk. "I can't leave my shift, but I can tell you where Gumi and Rin are." She pulled a phone out of her pocket, and typed something on it. "They're at the Medical Center at the University of Chicago." Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she pocketed her phone again. "I just texted Gumi. Told her the guy from the flower shop's looking for her. She'll be waiting for you at the entrance."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you so much. I've been looking for her for hours."

Miku smiled. "No problem." And then she added: "I didn't catch your name."

"It's Len."

She nodded. "Well, thanks for looking out for my friend like this." She turned back to the rack of jackets. "Merry Christmas."

I smiled, shaking like an excited child. "Merry Christmas."

I tried to calmly walk out of the mall, but I couldn't do it. So I ran out the entrance once again, and started down the street. I ran until a cab picked me up, and it came to me that I was really starting to warm up to the idea of riding in a taxi. It was better than walking, anyway.

My excitement only peaked when the taxi stopped in front of the hospital, and I saw Gumi for the second time that day. She was sitting on one of the benches outside, looking in my direction. I paid my fare, and ran out. She caught sight of me quickly. She stood up as I met her at the bench. in her hands was the same vase I had helped pay for earlier.

"Okay," she began. "I have so many questions for you. What is going on?"

I took a deep breath, ready to explain myself once again. "I saw Rin on the subway earlier today and she left this-" I pulled out the book. "- and it looked important so I didn't want to leave it there. And I looked through it, trying to find clues as to how I could give it back to her, and I've been running all over town trying to figure it out. And then I saw the picture of Miku working at the Victoria's Secret so I went to talk to her. And I didn't know you were one of Rin's friends until right after you left the florists. And Miku told me where you were, and here I am."

Gumi stared at me the same way Miku had. "Wow. All this trouble for Rin's Adventure Book?"

I shrugged. "It looked important." It was only half a lie.

Gumi nodded. "Well, I just got here. And I think Rin's upstairs with Lily. That's her sister," she explained.

I nodded. "I know."

Gumi laughed. "I guess you do."

We entered the lobby together, and rode the elevator up to the fifth floor. When the doors opened, Gumi expertly made her way to a counter, and set the flowers down.

"Hey, Gumi," the nurse greeted.

"Is Rin here?" Gumi asked her.

The lady shook her head. "She left a couple hours ago. I told her to go home. She hasn't been home in so long." Her tone was pitying.

Gumi nodded. "Can I see Lily?"

"Of course," the nurse answered. "Are these for her?" She tapped one of the rose petals.

She nodded again. "Red roses were always her favorite." She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen off the counter, and turned to me. She scribbled something down on it. "Here, Len. This is Rin's address. It's a little town home not too far from here." She gave me the paper, and pulled out her phone. She dialed a number, and held it to her ear. "Hey, Rinny," she greeted. I smiled. Finally, the chase was over.

"Hey, so I have this cute stranger looking for you-" Cute? Did she just call me cute? "-and he has your Adventure Book." A pause. "I'll let him explain it. It's quite the story." Pause. "I gave him your address, he's on his way." Another pause. "She's doing okay. Just get some sleep. I'll come pick you up in the morning to come see her. Okay. Have a good Christmas, hon. Night." She hung up the phone, and looked at me. "You're all set. I think the subway stops by around this time; just get off near Little Village."

I nodded. "Thank you so much."

She smiled, though it looked somber. "Thank _you._ " And with that, she turned, and entered an open door in the hall to my left. There was a window looking into it, with the blind open. I lingered for a moment, watching as Gumi set the flowers down on a table next to Lily's bed. I just barely got a glimpse of the sick girl before I turned around, and left the hospital, heading towards my final stop of the night.

I found myself back on the subway, having made it just in time, and sat in the same seat I sat in earlier. I knew the subway schedule; this was the time I usually came home. It was already almost nine o'clock. And when I finally reached Little Village, it was nine thirty.

Back in the cold, I walked down a street littered with town homes. I kept looking down at the paper, and back to the houses. Finally I found the right address of Rin's home.

I stood at the end of the sidewalk leading to her door, and found myself unable to move. After all this searching, I'd finally found her. Better yet, I'd be able to be sure that the book was in right hands. I'd done my good deed of the year, that was for sure.

I took a deep breath, feeling oddly nervous, and walked up to her door. It was painted a deep red, with a wreath hanging on it. With a shaking, gloved hand, I rang the doorbell.

I didn't have to wait long. The door opened, and there stood Rin. She had changed into her pajamas, and she looked sad. I didn't blame her.

"You're the guy from the subway," she said with a small voice.

I nodded, and held out a hand. "I'm Len. You- uh, left this?" She shook my hand, and I pulled out her book. Her eyes widened.

"Oh my God," she whispered as I handed it to her. I felt a huge load lift from my shoulders the second the paper touched her fingers.

I rubbed the nape of my neck nervously. "It was on your seat when you got off. I'm sorry- I had to look through it a little so I could find you."

She flipped through it, and looked up at me. The thankful look she gave me made all the trouble worth it.

And then she did the most unexpected thing. She jumped forward, wrapped me in a huge bear hug. I was taken off guard. When I regained myself, I hugged her back. We stood like that for a while, in silence, before I spoke up. "I'm sorry about your sister," I said softly.

She didn't say anything, just hugged me tighter. I chuckled.

"It's weird," I continued. "It feels like I know you so well. I mean… sorry. That sounded creepy."

She laughed, and pulled away from me. Her face was now wet with tears. "Thank you so much," she said, her bright blue eyes staring into mine.

I shook my head. "It's no problem. I had a feeling it was important to you."

She stared at me for a couple more seconds before moving to the side. "Do you maybe want to come in? Have a glass of wine, or something?"

Smiling, I nodded. "Yeah. I'd like that."

She welcomed me into her neat little home as if I were an old friend.

And for the first time that night, I felt warm.

 _Well, here's another late Holidays present for you guys. And another long one, too. So many things to celebrate, so we'll start with: Merry Christmas! Hope you all are having a fantastic holiday season. But, more importantly, Happy (late) 8th Birthday to Rin and Len! Ugh. I love my babies. Also, Kagamine V4x release, anybody? Is it amazing or is it amazing?_

 _Our song for the day is a V4 song, speaking of. It's amazing, and I love it._

 _Rin's ⅞ (Cover) by Youtube user Kyaami -_ _watch?v=gTHloFfWk4Q_

 _(There's also a version with Len on their soundcloud. It's just as good, if not better.)_

 _Thank you guys for the continued support! And, as always, Thanks for reading! :)_


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